China has allowed inspectors from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to board a Chinese cargo ship that is at the center of an investigation into the cutting of communications cables in the Baltic Sea, the Danish foreign minister said on Thursday.
The drivers of the Yi Peng 3 are wanted in Sweden for questioning as part of the investigation into the cutting of two submarine cables in November while the vessel has been stationary in nearby waters for a month. Diplomats in Stockholm and Beijing are discussing the issue.
Investigators quickly tracked down the vessel in question, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on November 15, and an analysis by the Reuters news agency of MarineTraffic data showed that the vessel was located in the country's coordinates where the cables are at the time they were cut.
Cables under the Baltic Sea, one connecting Finland and Germany and the other Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on November 17 and 18, prompting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to say the incident could be sabotage.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Thursday said his country had arranged a meeting earlier this week between representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and China, ending a month-long impasse.
"We expect that after the inspection by this group of people from the four countries has been completed, the ship will be able to sail to its destination," said Minister Lokke Rasmussen.
"LSEG" data shows that the vessel "Yi Peng 3" remains anchored in the same place in the Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden.
Swedish police said in a statement that they participated in the inspection of the ship only as observers, while Chinese authorities conducted the investigation.
"At the same time, the preliminary investigation for sabotage in connection with the cutting of two cables in the Baltic Sea is ongoing," the police said.
The actions taken aboard the ship on Thursday were not part of the preliminary Swedish-led investigation, police added.
The cable cutting took place in Sweden's exclusive economic zone, and Swedish prosecutors are leading the investigation into suspected sabotage.
Western intelligence officials have said they are convinced the Chinese vessel cut the two cables. They have expressed different positions on the issue of whether the actions were accidental or intentional.
After the incident, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson requested the return of the ship to Sweden to help investigate the incident./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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