Sweden – Expressen, Oct. 17, 2025
Today marks ten years since Gui Minhai was first abducted in Thailand. His daughter does not know whether he is alive, and now the EU Parliament and civil organizations are urging Sweden to act.
Even in a dictatorship as hardline as China, the case of Gui Minhai is unique. A Swedish citizen who in 2015 was kidnapped from his home in Thailand, and then again in 2018 on a train while accompanied by Swedish diplomats.
In February 2020, a court in the city of Ningbo published a notice online stating that Gui Minhai had been sentenced to ten years in prison for intelligence crimes. Since then, there has been silence from Chinese authorities. We do not know where Gui Minhai is being held, or even if he is alive.
Is it possible to create new momentum?
The EU Parliament is trying, through a resolution on Gui Minhai adopted on October 9 with a vote of 546–3. It emphasizes, among other things, that the case violates the Vienna Convention and expresses concern over Gui Minhai’s health.
Jonas Sjöstedt, Member of the European Parliament for the Left Party, was instrumental in bringing the resolution to the table in Brussels. He is hopeful about new developments in the case:
“China is now actively trying to improve its relationship with Sweden and the EU. It is evident as they seek contact through various channels. The tone is different from a few years ago,” Jonas Sjöstedt tells Expressen via email.
Closer relations with China?
As a possible explanation, Jonas Sjöstedt mentions the global political climate and China’s trade conflict with the United States. He says that a first meeting will be held in Brussels this week to revive contacts between the European Parliament and the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament.
Angela Gui, who has not heard from her father since January 2018, sees the resolution as a message to China that Europe stands united for her father’s freedom.
“Now it’s crucial that Sweden and the EU capitalize on this momentum through further pressure on China, for example by conditioning new business cooperation on my father’s release,” she tells Expressen.
But in some quarters, such pressure is seen as a double-edged sword. Even in Europe, there are several actors who desire closer ties with China, as the United States appears to be an unreliable ally. Many believe that pressure risks complicating this.
Wants sanctions against China
Jonas Sjöstedt hopes that China will realize that a free Gui Minhai would be important for improving relations and notes that all Swedish governments have “acted cautiously.” However, he does not answer specifically what consequences continued imprisonment of Gui Minhai should have for China.
Experience shows that pressure works
Erik Larsson, spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders in Sweden, believes that Sweden and the EU must seize this momentum to increase pressure on China.
“It’s time to raise our voice, and the EU should coordinate sanctions against China. Experience shows that pressure works. The Australian journalist Cheng Lei was released after international pressure just two years ago,” Erik Larsson tells Expressen.
