Sweden’s foreign minister said on Monday that China had denied a request for prosecutors to conduct an investigation on a Chinese ship linked to two severed Baltic Sea cables, despite Beijing pledging “cooperation” with regional authorities.
Sections of two telecoms cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters. Suspicions have been directed at the Yi Peng 3, which according to ship tracking sites had sailed over the cables around the time they were cut.
The Yi Peng 3 had been anchored in the international waters of the Kattegat strait between Sweden and Denmark.
Ship tracking site Vesselfinder showed the Yi Peng 3 heading north out of the strait on Saturday.
China said on Monday it had provided information and documents for an open investigation into the severing of the undersea cables.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a news briefing in Beijing that China had invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to participate in and complete the inquiry.