Sweden has formally requested China’s cooperation in investigating the recent damage to two undersea data cables in the Baltic Sea, The Associated Press reports, citing Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The request follows the discovery of damage to cables linking Finland to Germany and Lithuania to Sweden, both incidents occurring in Swedish waters near the location of a China-flagged bulk carrier, the Yi Peng 3.
The Yi Peng 3, currently moored in international waters between Sweden and Denmark, was sighted in the vicinity of the cable damage. Prime Minister Kristersson stated that Sweden has formally asked China to assist in clarifying the circumstances surrounding the incidents and has reiterated its desire for the vessel to enter Swedish waters for inspection as part of the ongoing international investigation.
“Sweden has expressed our desire for the ship to move to Swedish waters and we are in contact with China,” Kristersson said at a press conference following a Baltic Sea region security meeting. “Today I can also tell you that in addition to that, Sweden has also sent a formal request to China to cooperate with Swedish authorities in order to create clarity on what has happened.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, also present at the press conference, expressed Poland’s “full solidarity and full support” for Sweden’s investigation, emphasizing trust in Sweden’s actions in the best interest of the entire Baltic region.
Finnish, Swedish, and German authorities are conducting separate investigations into the cable ruptures. Germany’s defense minister has suggested sabotage as a possible cause, although no definitive evidence has yet been presented.
Chinese authorities have previously stated they lack information about the Yi Peng 3’s activities but expressed willingness to “maintain communication” with relevant parties, while also calling for the protection of the vessel’s “rights to normal navigation.”
This latest incident follows a similar event last year, when Sweden reported that a cable connecting its coast to Estonia had been “deliberately” damaged.
