Recently, the Chinese Embassy in Sweden confirmed that a member of a Chinese government delegation was apprehended while filming sensitive facilities in Sweden. Such incidents have become increasingly common in recent years, raising security concerns for the host country.
On November 2, the Chinese Embassy in Sweden announced through its official WeChat account that during a visit, a member of the Chinese delegation inadvertently captured images of local sensitive facilities and personnel, resulting in their detention by Swedish police. This incident significantly impacted the delegation’s subsequent itinerary.
The embassy emphasized the importance of being vigilant about warning signs such as “Prohibition of Entry” (Förbud mot tillträde) and “Prohibition of Photography” (Förbud att fotografera) to avoid mistakenly capturing images of “protected objects” (Skyddsobjekt). These protected objects include government institutions, law enforcement agencies, military facilities, and areas surrounding airports and customs that are critical to national security.
According to reports from Swedish media outlet Expressen on November 2, a Chinese man was involved in illegal photography of protected sites in Stockholm and has been detained by the local district court. He was reported to have filmed the Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut (Swedish Defense Research Agency) on October 29 and the Försvarsmaktens högkvarter (Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters) on October 30.
The individual claimed to be a tourist who was part of a guided tour, noting that he took photos of the buildings because he found them appealing. However, he reportedly failed to notice or comprehend the prohibitive photography signs, citing his limited English proficiency and lack of understanding of the Swedish language. He even attempted to use AI translation to understand the signage while waiting for the police.
Denying the charges against him, the Chinese national was subjected to detention as prosecutors argued that he posed a flight risk.
In recent years, there have been frequent incidents of Chinese tourists being arrested, prosecuted, and even sentenced by local law enforcement for capturing images of sensitive facilities, including military bases, military aircraft, and borders.
Korean police reported multiple cases of Chinese citizens illegally photographing military facilities between 2024 and 2025. Notably, in August 2024, two Chinese tourists were caught using a drone to film within a military harbor near the naval mobile fleet command in Jeju Island. They claimed ignorance of the law, yet they still faced prosecution. In April 2025, two Chinese citizens were apprehended for taking unauthorized photographs of internal areas and military aircraft near the U.S. Air Force base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province.
In another case, two Chinese students studying at a national university in Busan were discovered to have illegally flown drones near the Busan Navy Operations Command from 2023 to 2024, capturing images of several national security facilities, including the U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt that was docked for joint military exercises. In June 2026, a local district court in Busan sentenced the two to prison terms of one year and six months, and one year with two years of probation, respectively.
In July 2025, four Chinese nationals—including a couple, their son, and a traveling companion—were arrested near the Tanagra Air Force Base outside of Athens, Greece. They claimed to be ordinary tourists; however, authorities found numerous clear photos of military infrastructure and aircraft on their phones and cameras. The case was subsequently handed over to the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP) for investigation to determine if the four were involved in espionage activities.
On August 6, 2025, two Chinese men were arrested in Malaysia for allegedly trespassing into a restricted zone at the Ministry of Defense building in Kuala Lumpur while operating a drone for aerial photography.
By the end of 2025, a Chinese national who had illegally entered and repeatedly visited Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri for unauthorized photography was apprehended. He confessed to having previously filmed military facilities in Florida and Virginia and was ultimately sentenced to six months imprisonment.
In February 2026, another Chinese tourist allegedly ignored prohibition signs in simplified Chinese and illegally entered Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, capturing images of the base’s entrance, military personnel, and facilities used by the 25th Helicopter Combat Squadron, leading to his subsequent prosecution.
Previously, in June 2026, the Chinese Embassy in Sweden had reported that a Chinese citizen traveling in Sweden had similarly been detained by Swedish police for “inadvertently” photographing local sensitive facilities, severely disrupting their planned itinerary. The ongoing incidents raise pressing questions about international security protocols and the safeguarding of sensitive information related to governmental and military operations.