Sweden seeks China's help to probe Baltic sea cable damage
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that his country has officially requested cooperation from China to investigate the damage to the undersea telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea.
"[Sweden has - ed.] sent a formal request to China to cooperate with Swedish authorities in order to create clarity on what has happened," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday at a press conference with Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Harpsund, Sweden.
Kristersson emphasized that although this does not formally change the situation, it expresses Sweden's firm intention to inspect the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 to accurately determine the circumstances of the incident.
The Chinese container ship Yi Peng 3 has been in international waters in the Kattegat Strait since last week, monitored by the Danish Navy and the Swedish Coast Guard. Swedish authorities have expressed the desire for the vessel to enter their territorial waters, which would allow for a more detailed inspection of the ship.
Failure in the Baltic
The damage to two underwater telecommunications cables occurred on November 17 and 18. One of them connected Lithuania with Sweden, and the other Finland with Germany. The incidents took place in the Swedish economic zone—southeast of the island of Gotland and south of the island of Öland.
According to the "Wall Street Journal," investigators suspect that Yi Peng 3 deliberately cut the cables by dragging its anchor over a distance of more than 160 kilometres. The investigation is focused on determining whether Russian special services are behind the potential sabotage. The ship previously departed from one of the Russian oil ports.
The Swedish Prime Minister underlined the importance of cooperating with China to fully clarify the matter.
