China has offered Finland its full cooperation in the investigation of a Baltic Sea gas pipeline that was damaged on 8 October, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (NCP) told Helsingin Sanomat.
Finnish investigators said on Tuesday that a ship's anchor had been found near the site of the damaged Balticconnector pipeline, adding that a wide drag mark was found on the seabed on one side of the pipeline, and a narrow drag mark on the other side.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) previously revealed it was investigating the movements of a Hong Kong flagged ship owned by a Chinese firm, the NewNew Polar Bear, which was tracked in the vicinity of the damaged section of pipeline at the time it was damaged.
"We have been in contact with Chinese authorities and they have confirmed their desire to cooperate," Valtonen told HS, adding that she had met with China's ambassador to Finland, as well as other officials.
News agency Reuters, citing a press statement from China's foreign ministry, reported on Wednesday that China is willing to provide "necessary information in accordance with international law" in relation to the incident.
Politics professor: Pipeline damage theory "doesn't add up"
Finnish investigators are currently seeking to determine whether the damage to the pipeline was intentional or not, but an international politics professor said the investigation is likely to be long, difficult, and may ultimately prove inconclusive.
Speaking on A-Studio, Yle TV1's current affairs programme, on Tuesday evening, Professor Pami Aalto of Tampere University said that there was still a good deal of uncertainty surrounding the case.
"There are a lot of things that don't quite add up here," Aalto said, noting in particular the question of how experienced, or inexperienced, the crew of the NewNew Polar Bear vessel was in maritime operations.
He added that the uncertainty and ambiguity created by the damage to the pipeline could itself be the intention.
"This is perhaps the desired outcome. Uncertainty is also a desirable outcome for some of our neighbours in general," Aalto said.
SVT: Drag marks on seabed between Sweden and Estonia
Sweden's public broadcaster SVT reported on Wednesday that the Swedish navy has also found drag marks on the Baltic seabed, near the location where a cable line was broken.
The cable was damaged at around the same time as the gas pipeline incident was registered, but in Estonian territorial waters.
Swedish investigators previously reported that the cable was likely damaged due to external forces.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas confirmed on Tuesday night that the cable has since been repaired and is working at full capacity.
Edit note: Article updated at 13:33 on 25.10.2023 to add the report from SVT.
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