In the past year, the Chinese regime has conducted an intensive propaganda campaign against Sweden. A UN human rights conference at the Photographic Museum was canceled following pressures from China. The Chinese ambassador to Sweden threatened with "consequences" before Minister of Culture Amanda Lind presented the Tucholsky Prize to imprisoned publisher Gui Minhai.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has followed up the Chinese ambassador's action against Swedish media in the report "China's global media strategy - no stopping Chinese attacks on Swedish journalists". According to the report, the number of plays has increased. This is evidenced by media such as SVT, Expressen and Upsala Nya Tidning in the report.

Last year, the RSF also followed China's methods at a global level. The Chinese regime wants to modernize its international television broadcasts, infiltrate foreign media and buy advertising space in international channels. It is also about threats, violence and harassment.

Leads to self-censorship

The Chinese ambassador's actions can influence the media content. Michael Lindgren is a former producer for SVT's humor program Swedish News. He says in the report that the attacks can indirectly influence the decisions that affect the program content, that is, Swedish media practice self-censorship.

Jerker Hellström, of the Swedish Defense Research Institute (FOI), believes that the attacks contribute to a more negative view of China among the Swedish people. According to him, he uses scare tactics to silence journalists.

"That's the goal, self-censorship," he says in a press release.

RSF are concerned

According to the RSF, not enough is being done to stop the Chinese state apparatus's media offensive in Sweden. Outcome against Swedish journalists and media continues despite the government having had individual meetings with the ambassador.

- Although Swedish publicists act well and agree to the attacks, so to speak, put it down, it is important to remember that it is in the publicist decisions on the editorial floor or in planning program content that it is at its forefront, says Erik Halkjaer, Chairman of RSF Sweden in a press release.

China is ranked 177 out of 180 in the RSF's Freedom of Press Index. Sweden lands on site 3. Today, around 120 journalists are imprisoned in China.

-Sweden is almost the best in the world on freedom of the press. We cannot be silenced by one of the countries with the worst freedom of the press, says Erik Halkjaer.