It was at the beginning of April that Jojje Olsson received an email from the Chinese embassy in Sweden where he was threatened with consequences if he did not change his reporting on China.
This led the Christian Democrats, the Sweden Democrats and the Left Party to demand that Gui Congyou, China's ambassador, be expelled from Sweden.
"Not accepted by the Chinese people"
In Wednesday night's episode of SVT's "30 minutes", the ambassador stands up.
It was not wrong to send the threatening email, according to him.
SVT: When the Swedish media wrote about the HM boycott, you wrote a letter to Expressen's envoy in Taiwan and threatened him with consequences if he did not change his reporting. What are the consequences?
- First, Olsson calls himself a China expert, but he does not research China in either Sweden or China, says Gui Congyou.
- In Taiwan, he and the separatist authorities have an unholy alliance.
He regularly makes false statements about China.
The consequence is that it is not accepted by the Chinese people.
But I did not ask you about your opinion of Jojje Olsson, this journalist. I asked what were the consequences you thought he would have if he continued his reporting.
- He paints black and attacks China all the time.
It was not accepted by the Chinese people.
These are the consequences he is facing, says Gui Congyou.
"More and more desperate"
Jojje Olsson rejects the ambassador's claims about him.
- The Chinese embassy is becoming increasingly desperate in its attempts to blackmail not only me, but other dissidents.
They want to shoot the messenger and do it with increasingly ridiculous motivations, he says to SVT News.
- I can not understand how it could be equated with attacking China if you try to highlight the injustices that are taking place in the country.
It is the Chinese regime that wants to equate China with the Communist Party.
Reporting negatively on the Communist Party and its policies is tantamount to attacking China.