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Sweden has formally requested China’s cooperation regarding suspicions of sabotage allegedly carried out by the Asian nation in the Baltic Sea.
On Thursday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that his government was demanding “clarifications” about the severing of two undersea fiber-optic cables. One cable connects Finland and Germany, while the other links Sweden and Lithuania.
“Today I can tell you that we have additionally sent a formal request to work together with Swedish authorities to get clarity about what has happened. We expect China will choose to work together as we have requested,” he said during a press conference.
This request follows reports that the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 was spotted in the area and passed directly over the cables at the time they were cut.
Sweden, which is leading the investigation, has declined to comment on speculations about China’s involvement.
The Financial Times reported that investigators suspect the ship’s crew deliberately dragged an anchor to damage the cables.