Swedish satire show sparks Chinese embassy protest
The Chinese embassy in Stockholm has demanded an apology from public broadcaster Swedish Television for "insulting China" in a comedy show featuring a segment about Chinese tourists.
The embassy claimed the show "advocates racism and xenophobia" after Friday's edition of the programme included a segment with a mock infomercial directed at Chinese people planning to visit Sweden. The segment included the advice not to defecate outside historical buildings.
In a statement to Radio Sweden, Thomas Hall, head of SVT Entertainment, said the producers of the show wanted to make the point that Sinophobia does not get as much attention as other forms of racism in Sweden.
"This is a Swedish problem that we wanted to highlight," Hall said, suggesting that the real target of the satire were Swedes who hold stereotypical views of Chinese people.
Radio Sweden has reached out to the Chinese embassy for a comment.
