- We want good relations and good cooperation with Sweden.

But it presupposes mutual respect and that we do not interfere in each other's internal affairs, says Gui Conyou in the interview program 30 Minutes.

What the ambassador refers to is the case of Gui Minhai, the Swedish citizen and publisher who was kidnapped in his home in Thailand in 2015 and then imprisoned in China.

"Gui Minhai is a Chinese citizen"

In February last year, Gui Minhai was sentenced to ten years in prison - a sentence that the Swedish government refused to accept and protested against.

At the same time, China claimed that he became a Chinese citizen while in prison.

"The case has been removed from the archive concerning consular cases between China and Sweden," the Chinese embassy in Stockholm wrote already in February last year.

Something Gui Conyou also repeats for 30 minutes.

- I want to say to all Swedish parties who pay attention to this case that Gui Minhai is a Chinese citizen.

Gui Minhai is no longer a consular matter between our countries.

The case is closed

The demands from the Swedish government

Sweden claims that no application has been received that he would like to renounce his Swedish citizenship.

And the government, led by Foreign Minister Ann Linde (S), demands that Gui Minhai be released, immediate consular access and that a Swedish doctor be allowed to see him.

Several Swedish parties, the Christian Democrats, the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party, have on two occasions in a short time demanded that Gui Congyou be sent home from Sweden: when the verdict against Gui Minhai came last year and earlier this month.

The latter after the freelance journalist and China expert Jojje Olsson received a threatening email from the embassy in Stockholm, where he was urged to stop his reviews of China - or "face the consequences" of his actions.

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Ambassador Gui Congyou and China expert Oscar Almén at FOI.

Photo: SVT / FOI