Börje Ljunggren: From simple beginnings to the key Beijing embassy

ANWAR KEMAL
PHOTO: SWEDISH EMBASSY PEKING

When Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds visited China in 2004, Premier Wen Jiabao spoke about his interest in “Sweden’s secret”, i.e. the balance that Sweden has struck between efficiency and fairness.”


     H.E. BÖRJE LJUNGGREN holds one of the most important posts abroad that Sweden has to offer, as ambassador to the largest country in the world, comprising almost one-fifth of the human race. Coming from a lower middle class cum working class family background in a small village in the south of Sweden, with hardly any academic tradition whatsoever, he thrived upon entering Lund University “which was a wonderful thing for me. Not just the studies as such but the opportunities that it offered,” he recalls.
            Inspired by the example of Dag Hammarskjöld, as well as personalities who sometimes lectured in Lund, such as Herbert Tingsten, Ernst Wigfors and John Kenneth Galbraith, Börje Ljunggren gravitated towards an international career with a focus on Asia.
           In 1970 he joined SIDA, the Swedish International Development Authority as regional economist for Asia. Subsequently he and his wife, TV producer Ulrika Fornaeus, moved to newly independent Bangladesh where he opened Sida’s office. He has also served for several years as Ambassador to Vietnam and before moving to China, he was the Head of the Asia Department in the Swedish Foreign Ministry. A year as visiting scholar at Harvard provided the opportunity of earning a Ph.D. in political science. Börje Ljunggren is justifiably proud that his study “Market economies under communist regimes” was published by the Harvard University Press.
           In the deepest sense, Ambassador Ljunggren’s closest friends have meant more to him than anybody else. “They often showed much more confidence in me than I tended to have in myself.”
           Early in his career his main task was to write analytically, but soon he got management responsibilities, which he found “very stimulating and rewarding”. Curiosity and openness are qualities he finds “very attractive in other people… A crucial source of energy is the energy stemming from those with whom you interact.”
           China is becoming increasingly important to Sweden, says the ambassador. “The sky is, in a sense, the limit. Sometimes, we support an initiative taken by someone else, like the current very impressive exhibition of Chinese porcelain belonging to Swedish museums in the Wu Gate of the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) of which Volvo is the main sponsor. Sometimes, we take an initiative of our own, like this year’s launch of Strindberg in China…The Swedish Academy provided crucial support.”
           Asked about China-Sweden trade relations, Ambassador Börje Ljunggren recalls that Ericsson got its first order from China in 1892, and he is heartened that the number of Swedish companies investing in China is growing very fast. Many smaller and medium sized companies are getting established here, not least as sub-suppliers to the large ones, like Nolato making small parts for Sony-Ericsson’s mobile phones. Today, more than 250 Swedish companies are present in Mainland China. The Swedish Trade Council is there to help smaller and medium sized Swedish companies to get started in China, because mistakes “can be very costly. China is a tough market.”
            “In 2003 China became our largest trade partner in Asia, surpassing Japan. By 2004 exports reached 19 billion kronor and imports 23 billion. However, during the first half of this year we have experienced a strong decline in exports which fell by 18 percent, while imports have continued to grow at 24 percent…Telecom equipment is the largest export product, but paper, iron, steel, vehicles and power equipment are important as well. Imports are dominated by consumer goods, such as clothes, electronics and household appliances.”
            “By 2004 [Swedish Companies] had invested a total of 2.8 billion US-dollars, mainly in the telecom sector and industrial goods. Now they employ more than 33,000 persons directly, and several hundred thousands via subcontractors. IKEA and H& M generators provide more than 100,000 jobs each through the orders they place. Chinese investments in Sweden are so far not that many. In 2004 there were fewer than 20 Chinese companies in all with less than 250 employees. However, prominent Chinese telecom companies such as Huawei and ZTE are established in Stockholm.”
           The fact that Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China is, no doubt, something to which China attaches great importance even today, according to Ambassador Börje Ljunggren. When Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds visited China in 2004, Premier Wen Jiabao spoke about his interest in “Sweden’s secret”, i.e. “the balance that Sweden has struck between efficiency and fairness”. This autumn five Swedish cabinet ministers are visiting China, and next year the Swedish King and Queen will be visiting China, on the occasion of the arrival in China of the resurrected sailing ship Gotheborg.
           The ambassador notes that the political systems in the two countries are different and Sweden’s strong commitment to the protection of human rights is rightly an element in the bilateral dialogue. It may not, however “be described as an element of friction.” A very positive dimension of relations in human rights as a discipline is “our very fruitful cooperation in the field of legal development, primarily through the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.”
           The ambassador acknowledges that “The arms embargo is a complex issue in EU-China’s rapidly expanding relations. A lifting of the embargo would be combined with a strengthening of EU’s code of conduct on arms export. Swedish legislation is strict and I do not expect any Swedish arms sales to China in the foreseeable future.”
           The ambassador has travelled widely throughout China and he is fond of ordinary Chinese food. Close to Beijing, he has a favorite village next to the Great Wall. “In less that two hours time we can shift from Beijing’s hectic pace to a path leading into a peaceful valley where donkeys carrying firewood is a common encounter.” A place he remembers most fondly is Wutaishan, a holy mountain some 350 km south of Beijing, in an area full of Buddhist temples, which he visited last spring.
           The ambassador observes that China is certainly a popular destination for Swedes, though he expects that ‘in ten years time, the most common non-European tourist visiting Sweden is likely to be Chinese.”
           This posting is by far the ambassador’s busiest. “The flow of visits from all walks of life is quite immense. The Embassy serves as gate opener, host, bridge-builder, source of knowledge… Without my daily exercise in the gym I doubt whether I would last.”
           Weeks and even months can pass without an entire day off. “Hobbies are hypothetical”, although the ambassador does sometimes listen to Bach Bach’s Goldberg variations or Bill Evans’ improvisations. “Great inspirations for a restless soul,” he adds.
           But next year could be even busier, perhaps the busiest in Börje Ljunggren’s eventful career. The East Indiaman Götheborg, the single most important “vehicle” that Sweden has to promote bilateral relations, will be reaching China. The Chinese news media is covering the entire nine month voyage back to Canton (Guangzhou). When the ship arrives in Guangzhou in mid-July next year, the King and the Queen will be on board. The ambassador is confident “that it will be a great success not only in the ports where it will stay (Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong) but in China as a whole.”

The fact that Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China is, no doubt, something to which China attaches great importance even today, according to Ambassador Börje.