Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden called on a Chinese vessel suspected of cutting Internet cables to return to Swedish waters. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo
Sweden has demanded that the Chinese vessel connected to an investigation of two Internet cables in the Baltic Sea being damaged earlier this month return to its waters as part of the probe.
Swedish officials are investigating Yi Pen 3’s role in severing telecommunication cables connecting Finland, Germany and Sweden with Lithuania. The Chinese-flagged vessel was reportedly in the area when both undersea cables were cut, setting off geopolitical concerns. Advertisement
The Yi Pen 3, which sits in international waters between Denmark and Sweden, was shadowed by Denmark’s navy last Wednesday. Sweden’s Coast Guard joined in monitoring the ship Saturday.
“From the Swedish side, we had contact with the ship and China and stated that we want the ship to move towards Swedish waters,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson said Tuesday, according to Politico.
“It’s not the first time we’ve been hit by a cable break with a slightly unclear basis. We absolutely want to know what caused this.”
European countries have been concerned about such undersea attacks since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has disputed any role of the Chinese in the cable incident. For now, Chinese officials are cooperating with the Nordic countries in the investigation, authorities said. Advertisement
Earlier, German officials openly suggested that sabotage could be the cause of the severed cables.
