China’s foreign minister to visit Sweden for first time in 20 years

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Sweden this weekend as part of a Nordic tour, meeting Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard to discuss security and trade, SVT reports.

According to analyst Björn Cappelen of the National Knowledge Centre on China, Beijing considers the visit significant, as no such high-level trip has occurred in two decades. Relations between Sweden and China have been strained since 2015, when Swedish citizen Gui Minhai was detained, and worsened in 2020 after Sweden excluded Chinese suppliers from its 5G network.

The current Swedish government has sought to improve ties, partly due to the presence of many Swedish companies in China. Cappelen noted that Sweden aims to maintain stability amid growing competition.

Wang’s visit coincides with a Chinese national being held in Sweden on suspicion of serious illegal intelligence activities. The last official Chinese government visit was in April 2025, when a deputy trade minister met with a Swedish state secretary.