Sweden Demands Release of Publisher Gui Minhai in China
Sweden's foreign minister demanded China release imprisoned Swedish publisher Gui Minhai during Beijing talks. The case marks ten years since Gui's detention and remains a major bilateral dispute. China simultaneously announced visa-free travel for Swedish citizens.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard visited Beijing on the tenth anniversary of publisher Gui Minhai's detention. She met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the trip.
The minister stated she clearly demanded Gui Minhai's immediate release during the meeting. She described the case as a major obstacle in Sweden-China relations.
Gui Minhai disappeared during a Thailand vacation ten years ago. The Chinese-Swedish publisher has been imprisoned in China since then, except for a few months in 2017. Chinese courts sentenced him to ten years in prison in 2020 for allegedly supplying intelligence to foreign powers.
Malmer Stenergard declined to share China's specific response about Gui Minhai. She cited diplomatic sensitivity around the case.
China did announce visa-free travel for Swedish citizens during the same meeting. Swedish passport holders can now visit China for short stays without visas.
The timing suggests China may be using travel privileges to ease tension over the Gui Minhai case. The publisher's continued imprisonment remains a clear point of conflict between the two nations.
Why does this case matter internationally? It represents ongoing concerns about China's treatment of foreign citizens and its judicial independence.