Sweden Seeks China's Collaboration in Baltic Sea Cable Damage Investigation**

Amid suspicions and heightened geopolitical tensions, Sweden has reached out to China for cooperation in probing incidents involving severed undersea cables crucial for telecommunications, allegedly connected to a Chinese ship.**

Sweden has officially requested cooperation from China regarding the investigation into the severing of two undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, with a Chinese vessel allegedly implicated. On November 17 and 18, cables linking Sweden to Lithuania and Finland to Germany were damaged within Swedish waters. The ship in question, Yi Peng Three, has been noted to have been in the vicinity of the damaged cables and is currently anchored in international waters near Denmark.

China, however, has rejected any claims of involvement in the incidents, highlighting its position against the accusations. The Yi Peng Three was reported to have departed from a Russian port two days prior to the cable damages. On November 17, the Arelion cable connecting Gotland, Sweden to Lithuania was cut, followed by the severing of the C-Lion 1 cable between Helsinki, Finland, and Rostock, Germany the following day. Maritime tracking data suggests that the Chinese ship passed over these cables shortly before they were damaged, raising suspicions.

Reports indicate that investigators are considering the possibility that the vessel may have intentionally damaged the cables by dragging its anchor across the seabed, covering a distance of over 160 kilometers (approximately 100 miles). Since November 19, the ship has remained in the Kattegat strait, monitored closely by the Danish navy.

At a press conference, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed the significance of uncovering the truth behind these incidents and underscored his expectations for China to cooperate with the requests made by Sweden. He also reiterated a previous suggestion that the Yi Peng Three return to Swedish waters for further inspection, clarifying that this did not constitute any form of direct accusation.

Following Russia's military actions in Ukraine, the Baltic Sea has witnessed increased tensions and a sequence of incidents damaging critical undersea infrastructures. Notably, in September 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipelines were sabotaged, and more recent damage occurred to another telecom cable between Estonia and Sweden in October 2023. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius noted in recent comments that the severing of these cables could not have been an accident, although he refrained from attributing blame specifically to any party. Russia has dismissed any speculation of its involvement, calling it "absurd" and "laughable."