Sweden Remained Silent on Official Chinese Visitor

General Chen Bingde of the People’s Liberation Army of China, and member of the Chinese Communist Party paid a visit to Sweden recently. But most people didn’t know about it.

The Defense Minister and the Swedish Government were apparently hiding it.

Peter Rådberg, member of the parliamentary Committee on Defense, thinks that if a person of this position comes, it’s not just a courtesy visit, it’s business and politics.

And he is critical of how the Swedish government has kept the visit secret.

[Peter Rådberg, Member of Parliament, Green Party]:

”That  the General comes should be announced ahead of time with a press conference, like always when it’s this type of visit. That didn’t happen. He came here and disappeared as quickly as he arrived, and nobody knew he was here. It was discovered by journalists, which by itself tells us that the Swedish Government is hiding it from the Swedish people. Unfortunately, China is a dictatorship and I and my Party think that we should stay at arm’s-length distance from this country since they can’t respect human rights.”

NTD asked Swedish Defense Minister Sven Tolgfors for an interview but he turned it down.

He announced through his press secretary that General Chen Bingde is a guest of the Swedish Armed Forces.

That statement is contradictory since the armed forces can´t invite the General without the Government’s approval.

Johnny Börjesson is a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Swedish armed forces. He says that they talked with the Chinese General about the Swedish Armed Forces‘ own transformation, Chinese view on defense security, and international operations.

About the Swedish government´s silence of the visit, he says: “If the Minister of Defense doesn’t want to inform us, it’s up to him, I can’t answer that question.”

Peter Rådberg thinks that the Swedish government has something to hide.

[Peter Rådberg, Member of Parliament, Green Party]:

“We will of course ask concrete questions about this visit to the Defense Minister, and what the reason for the visit was. The Minister and the Government haven’t made it public and they put the lid on it.”

NTD News, Stockholm, Sweden

Foto: NTD