Why Sweden, once one of Beijing’s most outspoken critics, has changed its tune

Xiaofei Xuin Stockholm, SwedenPublished: 7:30pm, 11 Sep 2026Updated: 11:08pm, 11 Sep 2026Millions of Swedish voters head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament. Whatever the outcome, analysts say, the country is likely to look more towards Beijing for its technology edge and to diversify away from an increasingly unreliable Washington, despite persisting challenges in China-EU trade.“Many factors right now suggest that relations between Sweden and China will change in the long term – not necessarily directly linked to the elections – because I see more Swedish businesses [realising] that they rely on Chinese technology for their competitiveness,” said Paulo Silva, founding partner of New Republic Public Affairs and a former adviser at the Swedish Finance Ministry.The increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment was also likely to push Swedish political leaders and the business community to be more pragmatic and diversify, he said.

The US under the Trump administration was increasingly being seen as a real threat, according to Silva, citing episodes such as his demand to annex Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, which has close ties to Stockholm.

The percentage of Swedes holding a positive view of the US collapsed to 19 per cent in 2026 from 55 per cent in 2023, while those holding a positive view of China increased to 27 per cent from 12 per cent during the same period, according to a Pew Research report published in July.