Svenska handelsmöjligheter med Kina : Staten och näringslivets etablerande av handelsrelationer med Kina ur ett ekonomiskt diplomati-perspektiv, 1949–1964

Sammanfattning: This study analyses the Swedish state and private actors’ efforts to establish trade with the communist government in China, between the years 1949–1964. By examining how the actor’ cooperated through the theory of economic diplomacy the purpose is to establish who was the driving force and how the actor’ argued concerning the establishment of trade relations between the nations. This in relation to the Swedish neutrality and the Swedish dependency on the western market that it relied heavily upon in the postwar economy.The study finds that Sweden was heavily influenced by the western nations in how it developed its trade with China. The state, but also the private actors’ in some instances, feared a retaliation from the USA that would hinder them access to western market. In 1957 Sweden established a trade deal with China, but only after western Europe allowed it. After 1958 the private actor’s abandoned China because of difficulties in trade and left the state in a process of trying to reestablish it. The trade between the nations nearly collapsed but resumed in 1964. The conclusion is that the Swedish state considered the political consequences heavily when evaluating the trade with China and became the driving force in 1955. This was done because the state evaluated that the retaliation wouldn’t be to vigorous, while most of the private actors considered commercial gains instead of political consequences concerning trade with China.