World Bulletin / News Desk

The European Union's ambassador to China urged Beijing on Wednesday to immediately release a book publisher after the Swedish citizen was snatched for a second time, this time while accompanied by Swedish diplomats.

His daughter Angela Gui has said he was detained by around 10 plainclothes police on Saturday while on a train to Beijing from the eastern city of Ningbo, where he was living, while accompanied by two Swedish diplomats.

She said he was travelling to Beijing to see a Swedish doctor as he was showing symptoms of the neurological disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"We expect the Chinese authorities to immediately release Mr Gui Minhai from detention and allow him to reunite with his family, to get consular support and to get medical support," EU ambassador Hans Dietmar Schweisgut told a news conference in Beijing.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, who summoned China's ambassador to Stockholm twice within three days, had called on Tuesday for Gui's release, saying he should "be given the opportunity to meet Swedish diplomatic and medical personnel".

Asked about the EU and Swedish appeals, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: "I think there is no reason to them."

"Any foreign country should respect China's case-handling organs as they handle foreign citizen cases in China according to the law," Hua told a regular news briefing.