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- cross-posted to:
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Summary
Sweden accused China of denying its request to allow prosecutors to investigate the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3, suspected of cutting two Baltic Sea telecom cables in November.
The ship was tracked near the cables when they were severed, but China has only permitted limited onboard investigations, claiming the ship left to ensure crew wellbeing.
The incident raises suspicions of sabotage amid heightened Baltic tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Similar cases, including damaged pipelines and cables, have increased regional scrutiny of foreign vessels. China claims cooperation but limits full access.
Two snippets I‘d like to add to the summary:
The Swedish foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, told Agence France-Presse: “Swedish police have been on board [Yi Peng 3] as observers in connection with the Chinese investigation … At the same time, I note that [China] has not heeded our request for the prosecutor to conduct an investigation onboard.”
and
On Thursday, authorities from Sweden, Germany and Finland were invited onboard the vessel for an investigation led by China.