Sweden rejects Chinese criticism of press freedom prize

Sweden’s culture minister has rejected criticism by the Chinese ambassador of her participation in the awarding of a press freedom prize to a publisher detained in China

Sweden’s culture minister has rejected criticism by the Chinese ambassador of her participation in the awarding of a press freedom prize to a publisher detained in China.

The Swedish news agency TT quoted Culture Minister Amanda Lind as saying that “a foreign state telling another country how the government should act is very serious.”

She spoke hours before the Swedish chapter of PEN, a press freedom group, was to award its annual Tucholsky prize to Gui Minhai, the co-owner of a Hong Kong store which sold gossipy books about Chinese leaders.

Chinese Ambassador Gui Conyou urged PEN Sweden to cancel the award for the naturalized Swede and for Lind not to participate.

He said the award would “bring serious negative impacts” on bilateral cooperation, and “we will surely take countermeasures.”