Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday that Sweden has formally requested cooperation from China to help clarify the events surrounding the damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. The cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on November 17-18.
Investigators have focused on the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, which departed from the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15. A Reuters analysis of MarineTraffic data indicates that the ship’s coordinates match the time and location of the cable breaches.
On November 26, Kristersson demanded that the ship, currently sitting idle in international waters within Denmark’s economic zone, return to Sweden to assist with the investigation.
He stated that Beijing was formally requested to cooperate based on the investigation’s findings. Kristersson noted that the request expresses Sweden’s determination to search the vessel to find out what happened.
Western intelligence officials from multiple countries have suggested the Chinese ship was responsible for the cuts to both cables. However, their opinions differ on whether these incidents were accidental or deliberate. On Wednesday, China’s foreign ministry stated that communication channels with Sweden and other relevant parties remain “unobstructed” when asked about the Swedish request.
