Photo: A screen grab of the Swedish TV show

Sweden’s largest television station on Friday aired a program that seriously insulted China and Chinese tourists using abusive words and incorrect maps that did not include Taiwan and the Tibet Autonomous Region as part of China.

The program of SVT aired a video segment posted on Youku, a popular Chinese video website, in which the host described Chinese people with humiliating terms and images. The video titled “Welcome to Sweden” was uploaded under the name of “Sweden Official Channel.”

The Chinese Embassy to Sweden released a statement on Saturday condemning the video and lodging strong protest against SVT.

On Sunday, the embassy issued a safety reminder to Chinese tourists, saying it has received robbery reports from Chinese tourists in Sweden almost every day since April.

The spokesperson of the embassy said that the Swedish program broadcast by SVT outrageously insulted China. “The program and host spread and advocate racism and xenophobia outright, and openly provoke and instigate the racial hatred and confrontation targeting at China and some other ethnic groups,” the spokesperson said.

“The program also referred to a wrong map of China, where China’s Taiwan and some part of the Tibet Autonomous Region were missing, which severely infringes on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesperson noted.

Relevant staff of SVT claimed that the program was an entertainment program, while the embassy firmly rejected the claim. “We urge SVT and the program to immediately issue apologies. We reserve the rights to take further actions,” said the spokesperson.

The video went viral on Chinese social media platforms and prompted backlash. Some internet users condemned the program, saying the racism against Chinese and the incorrect maps cannot be tolerated.

Global Times