Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China has called on Sweden to guarantee the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese tourists, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Monday.

"In the early morning of Sept. 2, three Chinese tourists, including two elderly, were brutally treated by local police on the outskirts of Stockholm," Geng told a routine press briefing.

"The Chinese Embassy in Sweden and Chinese Foreign Ministry have successively lodged representations with the Swedish side, calling on the Swedish side to conduct a thorough investigation, respond to the Chinese tourists' reasonable appeal in a timely manner and inform the Chinese side as soon as possible.

This photo published by the Global Times allegedly shows Swedish police ejecting a Chinese national from a hotel in Stockholm, Sweden on September 2, 2018. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

"As of now, the Chinese side has neither received any update of the investigation from the Swedish side, nor any response from the Swedish police to the Chinese embassy's demand for a face-to-face communication," Geng said.

"This is not in line with diplomatic and international common practices," Geng said. "We urge the Swedish side to attach importance to the Chinese side's concern and take concrete measures to guarantee Chinese tourists' safety and legitimate rights."