On Wednesday 24 January, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service said the EU expected the "Chinese authorities to immediately release Mr Gui", the Swedish bookseller of Chinese origin, and "allow him to reunite with his family and to receive consular and medical support in line with his rights". Gui Minhai was taken in for questioning in China last week as he was on his way to consult a doctor, accompanied by Swedish diplomats who were bringing him consular help.
In a press release, the EEAS spokesperson stated that the EU fully supported the public statement and efforts of the Swedish government. The previous day, Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallström had called for the bookseller's "immediate release". She had twice summoned the Chinese ambassador in Stockholm.
The Chinese authorities seem deaf to the European calls, however. On 24 January, a spokesperson from the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs stated that "the Chinese organs concerned with the cases of foreign nationals were based on the law" and that other countries "should respect them".
Gui disappeared in 2015 during his holiday in Thailand, before reappearing in a Chinese detention centre and finally being released in autumn 2017 (see EUROPE 11676). The EEAS spokesperson stated that the EU had mentioned Gui's case to the Chinese authorities and in public on several occasions. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)