China is now repelling the Swedes

China wants to attract more and more foreign tourists to the country to benefit economically.

From November 2023, China has started allowing citizens of different countries to enter the country without a visa and stay there for a month. In December, Finland also joined the group.

Without a visa, you can travel to China for a business trip or visiting relatives in addition to a tourist trip. China especially wants wealthy Europeans to come to the country, as there are now 32 visa-free countries in Europe, 24 of which are EU member states.

However, the exceptions are Sweden, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Citizens of these EU countries have to apply for a visa.

Taiwan is rubbing

According to analysts interviewed by the South China Morning Post, leaving these three countries out of the visa-free regime is Beijing’s way of snitching on the countries.

Sweden’s relations with China have worsened, because according to the Chinese, the country has had a hostile attitude towards China in recent years. In the background are ideological differences and security concerns.

The Swedish authorities banned the Chinese telephone company Huawei’s the use of technology in the country in 2020, citing the insufficient security of the devices.

The Chinese were also angry about a comedy called Svenska Nyheter, which was shown on television in 2018, which mocked Chinese tourists.

But the Chinese administration must have been most irritated by our neighbor’s stance on the Taiwan issue.

Sweden has been an active defender of Taiwan’s democratic values ​​and the country’s government has supported its independence efforts and human rights. Swedish politicians have often expressed their open support for Taiwan, and at least 25 Swedish MPs have paid official visits to the island in recent years.

The Chinese Communist Party regards the island of Taiwan as its rebel province. In practice, however, Taiwan is an independent island nation without international recognition.

China has increased its military presence around Taiwan and has threatened to use force if Taiwan declares independence.

The most recent sources of friction have been broken sea cables in the Baltic Sea. According to Sweden, China denied a request to investigate a Chinese vessel allegedly involved in an accident in Swedish territorial waters last month.

China has openly accused Sweden of Cold War mentality and ideological bias.

Beijing’s torture continues

As for Lithuania, relations were strained when it announced that it was withdrawing from the 17+1 cooperation forum created with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as it said the country did not benefit from it. Relations deteriorated further later that year, when Lithuania gave Taiwan permission to open its own representative office in the country.

Taiwan is also straining relations with China and the Czech Republic.

In January of last year, the then president of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel held discussions with the former president of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wenin with. He was the first EU head of state to be in direct contact with Taiwan’s leadership.

Although the country’s foreign ministry called the talks broken and warned about them, two months later a Czech delegation of 150 business leaders, researchers and officials visited Taiwan.

According to diplomatic sources, Beijing will strictly continue its “One China principle”, which is a key part of its foreign policy.

It will not resort to strict means to show its direction.

The protests in Hong Kong in 2019 and China’s harsh response to them are proof of this.