Beijing did not allow Sweden to carry out its investigation on board the cargo ship

The Swedish prosecutor was not authorized by China to carry out his investigation on board the Chinese cargo ship suspected of being involved in the rupture of two cables in the Baltic Sea, which has now left the Kattegat Strait, between Sweden and the Denmark, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs declared Monday, December 23.

“Our request to allow the Swedish prosecutor and the police (…) to take measures as part of the preliminary investigation on board the [Yi Peng 3] remains unchanged »wrote Maria Malmer Stenergard in a message to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The two telecommunications cables were cut on November 17 and 18 in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, and suspicion quickly fell on a Chinese-flagged ship, the Yi Peng 3which was above the area at the time of the incident, according to ship tracking websites.

Beijing says it wants to maintain “cooperation”

On Thursday, the Swedish police as well as the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) were allowed on board the Yi Peng 3 to assist as“observers” to an inspection carried out by representatives of the Chinese authorities.

The Swedish police had clarified that no investigation would be carried out on board and that these operations were not part of the Swedish judicial investigation. “At the same time, I note that China has not responded [favorablement] at our request to authorize the prosecutor to conduct a preliminary investigation on board”specified the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The prosecutor, Henrik Söderman, explained to AFP that no measures within the framework of the Swedish judicial investigation could be taken on the ship, whether interrogations with members of the crew or technical investigations.

But the SHK was able, within the strict framework of the Chinese investigation, to carry out its own investigations in parallel. “For example, talking to crew members and carrying out technical assessments”underlined to AFP the general director of SHK, John Ahlberk. It is currently unclear whether any discussions took place between SHK and the Swedish prosecutor's office on this subject.

“The company owning the vessel, after a comprehensive assessment and consultations with relevant parties, has decided to resume operations”said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday, adding that “China informed the countries concerned in advance”. Beijing hears “maintain communication and cooperation with the countries concerned to move forward in handling this incident”added the spokesperson during a regular press conference.