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Sweden formally asks China to cooperate with investigation into damaged undersea cables

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden tells reporters Thursday that he has sent a formal request to China seeking its cooperation with an investigation into the suspiciou severing of undersea cables in Swedish waters. Screen capture courtesy of Office of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden tells reporters Thursday that he has sent a formal request to China seeking its cooperation with an investigation into the suspiciou severing of undersea cables in Swedish waters. Screen capture courtesy of Office of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden

Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Sweden has sent China a formal request to cooperate with its investigation into damage sustained by two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.

The two cables, between Sweden and Lithuania and Germany and Finland, were severed in Sweden's waters of the Baltic Sea early last week, leading to accusations of sabotage, specifically involving the Chinese-flagged bulk carrier Yi Peng 3.

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The cause of the severed cables is under investigation.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden told reporters during a press conference on Thursday that the country has formally asked China to cooperate with the probe.

"Today, I can also tell you ... that Sweden has also sent a formal request to China to cooperate with Swedish authorities in order to create clarity on what has happened," he said, adding that they have asked for the Chinese ship to return to Sweden's waters.

The cables were damage between Nov. 17 and 18.

Swedish telecom Telia Lietuva said the cable from Sweden to Lithuania was cut Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. local time. That cable has been repaired and was operational as of Thursday, Lithuanian state-run LRT reported Sunday.

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In a joint statement on Nov. 18, the foreign ministers of Finland and Germany said they were "deeply concerned" about the severed cable connecting their countries.

"The fact that such an incident immediately raises suspicions of intentional damage speaks volumes about the volatility of our times," they said.

The statement did not mention China but said European security "is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors."

"Safeguarding our shared critical infrastructure is vital to our security and the resilience of our societies."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told a council of the European Union the next day that they suspect "sabotage."

This is not the first time in recent years that infrastructure under the Baltic Sea has been damaged.

The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which connected Russia to Germany and transported natural gas, were blown up in an explosion in September 2022.

Then, the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was damaged in October 2023. A Chinese cargo ship named NewNew Polar Bear was found responsible.

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