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THREAD: Much have happened in the few days regarding the Swedish ambassador to China and the meeting she lured Angela Gui into. Will try to make a short recap. Saturday, the @SweMFA changed its earlier version that no one on the department had any knowledge of the meeting.
The @SweMFA "explained" by now instead saying that people on the department indeed did knew about the meeting, but that no one that was assigned to work with Gui Minhai's case knew about it, whatever that now means: sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.a…
Also, Swedish TV have demanded to see recent mail conversation between @SweMFA and the Swedish ambassador, supposedly public documents. However, @SweMFA censored the content in four mails, invoking confidentiality and potential damage to SWE-CHN relations: svt.se/nyheter/utrike…
With this in mind, the failure of @SweMFA to present a version regarding this meeting and then stick to it has created doubts whether it's true that FM @margotwallstrom or other high officials within the departement knew about the meeting. Wallström still denies any knowledge.
Yesterday, Sweden's leading TV news magazine @svtagenda sent a long interview with Angela and also with the opposition leader Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate party, who once again calls for transparency and @SweMFA to provide all information about meeting: svtplay.se/video/20787952…
Kristersson said on SVT Agenda that this is a disaster at any rate: If the @SweMFA knew about it, but also a disaster if they DID NOT knew, because it shows that the department lacks controls, checks or sufficient dialogue with its ambassadors.
His words are echoed by Moderate party foreign policy spokesperson Hans Wallmark in Swedish paper @Aftonbladet, demanding clear answers after contradictory information from @SweMFA. "No comment" from FM Wallström in same text, again invokes confidentiality aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/m6mX…
Other people who attended the meeting have also been interviewed. Sinology professor @LuoDuobi was there, naming one of the Chinese "businessmen" as venture capitalist Kevin Liu, apparently living at a suite in Sheraton Hotel in Stockholm. Lodén calls meeting "unfortunate".
According to @LuoDuobi, Liu was mostly bragging about his business and his success. Liu can be seen on photo together with the Chinese ambassador to Sweden, as well as the Swedish ambassador to China, here: svt.se/nyheter/utrike…
Furthermore, experienced sinologist Cecilia Lindqvist said she felt the meeting was "nothing she wanted to be involved with", and left it as soon as the Chinese "businessmen" during the afternoon started to order champagne and other booze for everyone: sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.a…
Swedish public radio also managed to reach out to one of the Chinese "businessmen" that attended the meeting and - supposedly same man that threatened @angelagui_. But to Swedish radio, the man says he is more interested in culture than politics(!) sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.a…
In sum, it seems that the meeting with Angela was a part of a larger "conference" or likewise, where people from Sweden and China in business, academics and culture gathered. As such, even harder to believe that @SweMFA didn't even know that ambassador Lindstedt was in Sweden!
Meanwhile, @SweMFA has temporarily suspended its investigation of ambassador Lindstedt, as the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) has started a criminal investigation against that could potentially land her in prison. Still, more questions than answers remains about this meeting.
