Sweden has deported a Chinese reporter deemed a “serious threat to security” by the country’s authorities, as reported by Swedish news sources Göteborgs-Posten and SVT.
The journalist, who had maintained extensive contacts with Chinese diplomats in Sweden for numerous years, was highlighted in a think tank report last year for her involvement with Chinese state media and activities perceived as pro-China “lobbying.”
According to these reports, the 57-year-old woman, who refuted all allegations, moved to Sweden nearly two decades ago and married a Swedish citizen. She has been accused of facilitating interactions between the Chinese embassy and visiting Chinese delegations in Sweden.
Since October 2023, she has been detained, and despite her appeal against the Swedish Migration Agency’s deportation decision, a Swedish court upheld the ruling.
Göteborgs-Posten and SVT disclosed that the Swedish government, on the previous Thursday, resolved to deport her permanently.
Her attorney, Leutrim Kadriu, communicated to SVT that she disputes any claims of being a national security risk to Sweden, although he refrained from divulging specifics due to the secrecy surrounding this national security issue.
The expelled journalist also reported from Norway and other Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, as per Norway’s NRK broadcaster. The Chinese embassy in Stockholm had not commented on the matter at the time of reporting.
The expulsion comes amid strained relations between Stockholm and Beijing. In a notable incident in 2020, Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen born in China, was sentenced to a decade in prison by an eastern Chinese court for distributing books criticizing the Communist Party, on charges of “illegally providing intelligence overseas.” Sweden’s calls for Gui’s release have been consistently dismissed by China.
Gui’s disappearance in 2015, presumed to be a kidnapping by Chinese operatives in Thailand, sparked controversy and led to an inquiry involving Sweden’s ambassador to China, Anna Lindstedt, over a controversial meeting related to Gui’s case. Lindstedt was ultimately exonerated.
