An undiplomatic diplomat in Sweden
Newsletter
The Chinese ambassador to Sweden is not making friends in that country. The South China Morning Post reports that Ambassador Gui Congyou 桂从友 has “continued his attack on Swedish authorities over the treatment of Chinese tourists in Stockholm, with accusations of arrogance and bias by ‘certain forces.’”
- Swedish police have denied any wrongdoing: The Chinese tourists, a family of three, arrived one day early at their Stockholm hotel. The hotel called the police after the family refused to leave when the hotel could not offer accommodation. Judging from video and eyewitness accounts compiled by Swedish journalist Jojje Olsson, this is a case of badly behaved tourists unwilling to accept local norms, not an incidence of police brutality.
- Gui blasted Swedish police in “his second interview in two days with Swedish media, after local police denied wrongdoing in their handling of the incident.”
- Olsson’s journalism has previously been the target of a hit piece press release from the Chinese embassy in Stockholm.
- “Without going into the precise rights and wrongs here, it’s another example of the Global Timesation of Chinese foreign policy: constantly acting out media rituals of righteous vengeance against wounded humiliation,” tweeted New York Times reporter Chris Buckley.
- See also from Jojje Olsson: New interview: Chinese ambassador to Sweden demands compensation and punishment after tourists evicted from Stockholm hotel. And on SupChina Access yesterday: Video evidence contradicts Chinese embassy claims of Swedish police brutality (paywall).
