Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, has renewed her country’s demand for the release of Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, who has been imprisoned in China since 2020.
Speaking after a visit to Beijing, Stenergard said she raised Gui’s case with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, describing it as a matter of “deep concern” that continues to strain relations between both nations.
“Our stance remains firm: Gui Minhai must be released and reunited with his family,” she posted on X on Friday.
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Gui, a Hong Kong-based publisher known for producing books critical of China’s communist leadership, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Chinese court in 2020 for allegedly providing intelligence to foreign entities.
Responding to Sweden’s appeal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Gui’s case was handled “in accordance with the law” and warned against foreign interference in China’s judicial affairs. “We firmly oppose any country, organisation, or individual interfering in China’s judicial sovereignty,” Lin stated during a press briefing in Beijing.
Gui, 61, was first abducted from Thailand’s Pattaya resort in 2015 and later appeared in Chinese detention. Though briefly released in 2017, he was rearrested in 2018 while travelling with Swedish diplomats on a train to Beijing.
The court in Ningbo, which convicted him, claimed Gui had requested to have his Chinese citizenship reinstated claim Sweden disputes, insisting he remains a Swedish national and continues to call for his unconditional release.
