Stora tråden: Kina kritiserar Sverige

South China Morning Post: China’s GDP growth could be half of reported number, says US economist at prominent Chinese university

US economist Michael Pettis of Peking University says China gross domestic product is overestimated as bad debt is not written down.

Lingchi (凌遲), translated variously as the slow process, the lingering death, or slow slicing, and also known as death by a thousand cuts, was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 CE until it was banned in 1905. It was also used in Vietnam and Korea. In this form of execution, a knife was used to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time, eventually resulting in death.

Absolute poverty and the International Poverty Line

The term "absolute poverty" is a synonym for extreme poverty. Absolute poverty is the absence of enough resources to secure basic life necessities.

To assist in measuring this, the World Bank has a daily per capita international poverty line (IPL), a global absolute minimum, of $1.90 a day as of October 2015.

The Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Response to the Question in a Svenska Dagbladet Article

2019/08/23

We have noticed the article in Svenska Dagbladet by its journalist Annie Reuterskiöld on 21 August, which said staff of Chinese Embassy in Sweden asked her questions about Kristdemokraterna during a visa interview. The article questioned why the Chinese side is so interested in Kristdemokraterna. Our response is:

It is a common practice by countries around the world to request relevant visa applicants to take an interview. To learn about the receiving country including its political parties is one of the basic work of a diplomatic mission. The Communist Party of China is willing to develop friendly relations and exchanges with all major political parties in Sweden including Kristdemokraterna, on the basis of independence, equality, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.

The Communist Party of China maintains friendly exchanges with political parties from all major countries in the world. In 2017 the Communist Party of China hosted Communist Party of China Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, which saw the participation by nearly 300 political parties and organizations from over 120 countries.

In recent years, none of the major political parties in Sweden participated in political party exchange activities hosted by the Communist Party of China. Nor do they want to sent delegations to visit China. As a result, they lack due knowledge about the Communist Party of China’s policies and practices to deliver benefits to its people and to contribute to development of the world.

It is hoped that major political parties in Sweden including Kristdemokraterna will look at China and the Communist Party of China with an open mind and strengthen inter-party exchanges to enhance mutual understanding, rather than build up barriers and suspicion.