AFP – Sweden's foreign minister said on Monday that China rejected a request by prosecutors to investigate Chinese vessels linked to two severed Baltic cables, despite China promising “cooperation” with regional authorities. said.
On November 17th and 18th, parts of two communication cables were cut in Swedish territorial waters. Suspicion has been directed at the Yi Peng 3, which was sailing on the cable at the time of the disconnection, according to ship-tracking websites.
The Yipeng 3 was anchored in international waters in the Kattegat Strait between Sweden and Denmark.
Vesselfinder, a ship-tracking site, showed on Saturday that the Yi Peng 3 was heading north through the strait.
The Chinese government confirmed on Monday that the ship had set sail “to ensure the physical and mental health of the crew.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “The ship's owner company made the decision to resume operations after a comprehensive evaluation and consultations with relevant parties.''
“China has notified all relevant countries in advance,” Mao Zedong said.
“China intends to maintain communication and cooperation with relevant countries to proceed with the aftermath of the incident,” it added.
– Observer –
But Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmar Stenergard also said on Monday that Swedish prosecutors were not authorized to conduct an investigation.
“Swedish police are on board as observers in connection with the Chinese investigation…At the same time, China is not heeding our requests for prosecutors to conduct investigations on board,” Stenergard told AFP. We also take note of this,” he said in a statement to AFP.
On Thursday, officials from Sweden, Germany and Finland were invited aboard the ship as observers of the Chinese-led investigation.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said a Danish representative accompanied the group as Denmark played a “facilitating role” by hosting a meeting between the two countries earlier this week.
Prosecutor Henrik Söderman told AFP that no other measures were taken on board the ship as part of Sweden's judicial investigation, such as interrogating the crew or conducting a technical investigation.
The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) also took part in the visit and were able to inspect and talk to the crew.
SHK director John Ahlberg told AFP that they were not bound by similar restrictions because they were not conducting a criminal investigation.
Three representatives have joined SHK, and Alberg said they are “crossing over the materials and considering what conclusions we can draw.''
Soderman said he did not yet know the details of the information collected by SHK.
– “We have taken a clear stance towards China” –
“Our desire remains that the Swedish public prosecutor's office be allowed to cooperate with the police and others and take certain investigative measures within the framework of the onboard investigation. We have clearly agreed with China on this point. ''Stenergard said.
Sweden asked China late last month for cooperation in the investigation, but Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson insisted there had been no “accusations” made.
European officials said they suspected sabotage related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin rejected the comments as “ridiculous” and “laughable.”
Early on the morning of November 17, the Alerion cable, which runs from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania, was damaged.
The next day, the C-Lion 1 submarine cable connecting Helsinki to the German port of Rostock was severed south of the Swedish island of Oland, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Helsinki.
Tensions around the Baltic Sea have been increasing since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In September 2022, a series of underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has not yet been determined.
In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship and shut down.
