This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

China has called off two business delegation visits to Sweden after Stockholm presented a rights prize to dissident Gui Minhai in defiance of Beijing’s threat of “counter-measures”.

Tensions between the two countries have been strained since Gui Minhai, a Chinese-born Swedish citizen who is known for publishing scandalous books about Chinese political leaders out of a Hong Kong book shop, disappeared in 2015 before resurfacing on the mainland.

China had threatened “counter-measures” before 55-year-old Gui was awarded the Tucholsky award, which is given every year to a writer or a publisher being persecuted, threatened or in exile. The award was unveiled by Swedish culture minister, Amanda Lind, in November.

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China’s ambassador to Sweden, Gui Congyou, said on Thursday: “As far as I know, two large delegations of businessmen who were planning to travel to Sweden have cancelled their trip.”

In early December, Sweden’s foreign ministry said Beijing had postponed a visit to Stockholm planned for 10 December to discuss trade. “China has no plans to return to this commission’s table at the moment. The ball is in the Swedish court. We are waiting,” Congyou said.

Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven said in November the country would not give into threats.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Swedish culture and democracy minister Amanda Lind unveils the Swedish PEN’s Tucholsky prize to Chinese-Swedish book publisher Gui Minhai. Photograph: Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

Gui disappeared from a holiday home in Thailand in 2015. Several months later, he appeared on Chinese state television confessing to a fatal drink-driving accident from more than a decade earlier.

He served two years in prison but three months after his October 2017 release, he was again arrested while on a train to Beijing while travelling with Swedish diplomats.

This month, Sweden’s former ambassador to Beijing Anna Lindstedt was accused of brokering an unauthorised meeting to try to get Gui freed. Lindstedt now faces trial and could face years in jail if convicted.

Gui’s supporters and family have claimed his detainment is part of a political repression campaign orchestrated by Chinese authorities.

China is Sweden’s eighth-largest trading partner, according to the Swedish Institute for statistics.