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In early August, artist Zara Larsson announced that she was terminating her sponsorship agreement with Huawei. The telecommunications giant is one of several Chinese companies that have long been accused by the Western world, led by the United States, of having ties to the Chinese state.
– Not the smartest deal I’ve ever made. I defend human rights, Larsson told TV4.
Huawei, for its part, said the deal was terminated as planned. Sarah Sjöström, also sponsored by the company, announced that they will continue their collaboration.
“For me, it is mainly my interest in technology, photography and innovation, where Huawei is very strong, which makes me think that collaboration is good. I do not comment on politics or things like that and I have never done that. “Sjöström said in a statement.
Brand expert Niklas Turner Olovzon does not judge the swimming star.
“Until the public”
– It is very easy to say that Zara Larsson has done the right thing and Sarah Sjöström would have done the wrong thing, but I am almost inclined to turn the tables a bit and say that it is more credible (by Sjöström) in context. Sjöström has come to terms with the parameters that everyone should know, if nothing else, advisers should know everything, and then stick to it, he says and continues:
– I think that sometimes too much responsibility is put on ambassadors and influencers that they should be pillars in society. As long as Sarah Sjöström does not commit any wrongdoing, she will make her own business decisions. So it is up to the public to judge whether those decisions please you or not.
The artists Danny Saucedo and Petter Alexis Askergren are two other profiles that have been part of the Swedish establishment of Huawei.
“It’s troublesome”
– It is problematic for artists, sports stars and others to have close collaboration with companies that have close ties to countries that violate human rights. Because you have to identify with what those countries are guilty of, says Maja Åberg, an expert on human rights issues at Amnesty International Sweden.
– Amnesty’s recommendation is that you really have to think about how close the links are between you and human rights violations, says Åberg.
On Sjöström’s collaboration, Åberg says:
– Ultimately, it is your choice. But what’s problematic about Huawei are possible ties to the Chinese state. But I find it harder, actually, to make that connection honestly. Because the Chinese state is responsible for human rights abuses. There are quite a few intermediate steps in the link between Sarah Sjöström, Huawei, the Chinese state, and the abuse in Xinjiang.
“This is not the right time”
She believes that in the future it will be more common for artists and athletes to think more from a political and human rights perspective.
– If it also helps more people open their eyes to what is happening in China, I also think it is good, he says.
TT has contacted Sarah Sjöström for a comment on the collaboration with Huawei.
“This is not the right time to answer any of your questions at this time,” writes your manager Daniel Wessfeldt in an email response.
David Hjorter / TT
Cesar Fältskär / TT
Zara Larsson. Stock Photography. Image: ADAM IHSE / TT
Huawei is the world’s largest provider of telecommunications networks and the second largest mobile phone manufacturer after South Korean Samsung.
Founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, former member of the Chinese Army. Huawei claims that the company is privately owned, but there are suspicions in the Western world that Huawei has close ties to the Chinese regime.
The United States has classified the company as a security threat and urges its allies to do the same.
Source: AFP
The Xinjiang Autonomous Region is located in the northwest corner of China. With an area three times the size of Sweden, the region represents one sixth of China.
Of the approximately 21 million inhabitants of Xinjiang (2010), the majority are Turkish-speaking Muslim ethnic groups. The Uyghurs, one of the 55 officially recognized minorities in China, are the largest group with 8-10 million.
In Chinese historiography, Xinjiang has always been part of China, but the degree of influence has varied. Uyghurs have often felt a greater ethnic and cultural affiliation with their Central Asian neighbors and fought for independence.
In recent years, the independence ambitions in the region have attracted attention through several assassinations and the strong reactions of the communist regime to them.
In 2016, authorities began building prison-like facilities. Many Uighurs have been placed there, according to the information, at least a million, up to two. According to UN experts, witnesses and activists, people are separated from their families, locked up without trial, politically indoctrinated and exposed to violence.
China describes it as a “retraining camp” aimed at curbing terrorism.
The surveillance of the authorities has also been significantly strengthened, through, among other things, facial recognition and the extensive recording of personal data and people’s behavior.
Source: UI / Landguiden, Reuters
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