Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson yesterday said that Stockholm wanted a Chinese ship, anchored off Denmark after two Baltic Sea cables were cut, to move to Swedish waters to aid an investigation.
Kristersson told a morning press conference that Sweden had “been in contact with the ship and with China, and have stated that we want the ship to move towards Swedish waters.”
He added that it was not an “accusation,” but aimed to “figure out what has happened.”
Photo: AFP
Sections of two telecom cables were cut on Nov. 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters of the Baltic Sea. The Yi Peng 3 sailed over the cables around the time they were severed, according to ship tracking sites, although there is nothing to indicate that it was involved in the incidents.
Swedish and Finnish police have opened investigations and European officials have said they suspect “sabotage” linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has rejected the comments as “absurd” and “laughable.”
The Yi Peng 3 has remained anchored in the narrow Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied any responsibility in the matter.
Denmark’s navy on Wednesday last week said it was shadowing the vessel, which is in international waters. Sweden’s coast guard joined it on Saturday.
Early on Nov. 17, the Arelion cable running from the Swedish island of Gotland to Lithuania was damaged. The next day, the C-Lion 1 submarine cable connecting Helsinki and the German port of Rostock was cut south of Sweden’s Oland island, about 700km from Helsinki.
Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has yet to be determined.
In October last year, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.
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