Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning Photo: AP
China has provided important information and documents for the investigation into the incident with two damaged submarine cables in the Baltic Sea and invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to join the investigation and complete it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday, Reuters reports.
These statements were made during a briefing at which Mao commented on an article in the Financial Times, which criticised Sweden for refusing to provide full access to the investigation and for the Chinese authorities’ failure to allow a Swedish prosecutor to board the suspected Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3.
The Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3 has remained in Danish waters for more than a month, and the Swedish Coast Guard confirmed that it was moved to a new location last week. China has agreed to allow representatives of Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to inspect the vessel to assist in the investigation.
“To facilitate the investigation, the Yi Peng 3 has been detained for an extended period of time. In order to protect the physical and mental health of the crew, the shipping company has decided to resume the voyage after a comprehensive assessment and consultation with all stakeholders,” said Mao Ning.
She also added that China has warned all interested countries about its actions and is ready to continue communication and cooperation.
The investigation was launched after two fibre-optic cables were damaged, one connecting Finland to Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania. These incidents have raised suspicions of sabotage and concerns about the security of critical infrastructure in the region.
