Economy

The future of defense
Analyst: Low national debt even after a rearmament

Swedish national finances are equipped to be able to finance a military rearmament. This is what SEB analyst Amanda Sundström tells SvD Näringsliv.

– Even if we were to count on a rearmament that corresponds to 5 percent of GDP, which is quite extreme, Sweden would have a national debt that is significantly lower than many other countries in Europe.

This week, SEB calculated what it would cost to raise the annual defense appropriations from last year's 125 billion kronor to around 170 billion, corresponding to 2.6 percent of GDP. According to that analysis, Sweden needs to borrow 110 billion kronor this year and 120 billion kronor next year.

The development of AI
China advises AI leaders against trips to the US: "Stay here"

China's AI entrepreneurs and researchers have been urged to avoid trips to the US, writes the Wall Street Journal, citing sources with insight. Beijing is worried about leaks about the country's technological progress and that executives can be kept in the country and used as bargaining chips.

Xiaomeng Lu, who analyzes emerging technologies at Eurasia Group, sees two other clouds of concern from China. The first could be a concern that China is losing its technology through acquisitions or licensing. The second is that talent is leaving the country.

- For the technology sector, brain drain can have a devastating effect on a country. The first signal is: Stay here, don't flee, says Xiaomeng Lu.

The sanctions
Oil trader appeals - claims collegial conspiracy

Dutch oil trader Niels Troost is unique as the only European to have been sanctioned. He is now appealing the decision to the EU's highest court, reports the Financial Times. In documents seen by the business newspaper, his lawyers write that Troost stopped trading Russian oil 15 months before the sanctions came into effect.

Instead, Niels Troost claims that his former business partner Gaurav Srivastava has spread disinformation to damage his reputation. Among other things, Troost claims that he was deceived by Srivastava that he worked for the CIA.

In a statement to the FT, Srivastava denies that it has anything to do with a disinformation campaign or that he claimed to have worked for the CIA.