Sweden requests China's cooperation in investigating severed Baltic Sea cables

Chinese ship Yi Peng Three in the Kattegat strait off Denmark

Sweden has officially requested China's cooperation in investigating the damage to two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, following reports that a Chinese vessel may have been involved in the incidents.

The two cables—one connecting Sweden to Lithuania, and the other linking Finland to Germany—were damaged in Swedish territorial waters on November 17 and 18.

A Chinese ship, the Yi Peng Three, is believed to have been in the area at the time and is now anchored in international waters off Denmark.

China has denied any involvement in the sabotage

The Yi Peng Three departed the Russian port of Ust-Luga, located west of St. Petersburg, on November 15. On the morning of November 17, the Arelion cable, which links Sweden's Gotland Island to Lithuania, was damaged. The following day, the C-Lion 1 cable, which connects Helsinki, Finland, to Rostock, Germany, was severed.

Ship tracking data suggests that the Yi Peng Three sailed over the cables around the time they were damaged. According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators suspect the ship may have intentionally damaged the cables by dropping and dragging its anchor across the seabed for more than 160 kilometers (100 miles).

Since November 19, the Yi Peng Three has been in the Kattegat Strait, a passage between Sweden and Denmark that connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, where it is being monitored by the Danish navy.

On Thursday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated at a press conference that the Swedish government had formally requested China’s cooperation in clarifying the events surrounding the damage. He emphasized the importance of understanding what happened and expressed expectations that China would comply with the request.

Kristersson also reiterated his request for the ship to return to Swedish waters so it could be searched as part of the investigation, but stressed that this was not an accusation of wrongdoing.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tensions in the Baltic Sea have risen, with several incidents of damage to undersea infrastructure. In September 2022, explosions damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Europe and Russia, and in October 2023, another undersea telecoms cable between Estonia and Sweden was affected.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recently remarked that "nobody believes these cables were cut accidentally," though he did not assign blame. Russia has dismissed claims of its involvement, calling them "absurd" and "laughable."