Sweden has formally requested China’s cooperation in investigating potential sabotage after two undersea internet cables in the Baltic Sea were unexpectedly damaged earlier this month. Data tracking has linked a Chinese ship to the incidents.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson confirmed the request, stating, “Sweden has sent an official request to China for cooperation with Swedish authorities to clarify what happened,” in comments to the media on Thursday, as reported by CNN.
Kristerson also revealed that Sweden asked China to return the ship to Swedish waters to assist in the investigation. The vessel is currently anchored in international waters in the Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden.
The two cables—Arelion, linking Finland and Germany, and C-Lion 1, connecting Sweden and Lithuania—were severed within 24 hours, on November 17 and 18. These incidents occurred just weeks after the United States warned of potential Russian targeting of critical underwater infrastructure. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that “no one believes the cables were accidentally damaged.”
The Swedish Prosecutor’s Office announced last Tuesday that the National Unit for International and Organized Crime has launched a preliminary investigation into the sabotage suspicions regarding the cable disruptions. Finland’s National Investigation Bureau has also opened an inquiry.
Ship tracking data, collected by Kpler, revealed that the Chinese freighter “Yi Pen 3” passed over the two damaged communication cables around the time they were reported as broken. The vessel had been traveling from the Baltic Sea after stopping at the Russian port of Vistino. Tracking data also showed that the ship crossed over other underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, including four gas pipelines, an oil pipeline, a power line, and another telecommunications cable under construction.
In response to questions about the ship during a Wednesday press conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he was “unaware of the situation” and emphasized that Chinese ships “abide by relevant laws and regulations.”
