China has provided information and documents for a joint investigation into two broken cables in the Baltic Sea and has invited Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to participate and complete the investigation, China's Foreign Ministry said earlier this week.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press conference after being asked about a Financial Times report on a cable break near the Nord Stream pipeline.
The Financial Times reported that Sweden accused China of refusing to grant full access despite the open investigation and not allowing Swedish prosecutors to board the Yi Peng 3 ship - a suspect in the cable break.
Last weekend, the Swedish Coast Guard reported that the Yi Peng 3 had weighed anchor and left after more than a month of anchoring in Danish waters.
China allowed representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to board the ship for an investigation last week.
"In order to cooperate with the investigation, the Yi Peng 3 has been suspended from operations for a long period of time. And in order to protect the physical and mental health of the crew, the ship's owner decided to let the ship continue its journey after a comprehensive assessment and consultation with relevant parties," Mao Ninh informed.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also emphasized that China has notified all relevant countries in advance and is ready to maintain communication and cooperation on the incident.
The Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 is under investigation after a cable rupture in November near the Nord Stream gas pipeline. One of the ruptured pipes connects Finland to Germany while the other connects Sweden to Lithuania.
