Sweden has formally called on China to assist in investigating the damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, after a Chinese vessel, the Yi Peng Three, was linked to the incidents.
The cables—one connecting Sweden to Lithuania and the other linking Finland to Germany—were damaged on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters.
The Yi Peng Three, which had departed the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15, is suspected of being in the area when the incidents occurred. It has since been anchored in international waters near Denmark, monitored by the Danish navy.
China has denied any involvement in the damage, which Swedish investigators suspect may have been caused deliberately.
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Data from ship tracking sites suggest the vessel may have dragged its anchor across the seabed for over 160 km (100 miles), severing the cables.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced at a press conference that Sweden had formally requested China’s cooperation in the investigation.
He emphasized the importance of clarifying the events, stating, “We expect China to comply with the request we have sent.”
Kristersson also reiterated Sweden’s earlier appeal for the Yi Peng Three to return to Swedish waters for inspection, though he avoided making direct accusations against the vessel or China.
The damaged cables include the Arelion cable between Gotland, Sweden, and Lithuania, and the C-Lion 1 cable connecting Helsinki, Finland, to Rostock, Germany.
The Baltic Sea region has experienced heightened tension and incidents involving undersea infrastructure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In September 2022, explosions severely damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines, and in October 2023, an undersea telecom cable between Estonia and Sweden was sabotaged.
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German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius commented on the latest incident, saying, “Nobody believes that these cables were cut accidentally,” though he refrained from naming a suspected perpetrator.
Russia dismissed suggestions of its involvement as “absurd” and “laughable.”
