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Chinese and Finnish presidents discuss damage to Baltic gas pipeline blamed on Chinese ship

  • Xi Jinping and his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto had ‘constructive’ talks about the incident last October which led to the Balticconnector pipeline being shut down
  • The Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear is suspected of causing the damage by dragging its anchor across the seabed

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An anchor recovered from the Baltic seabed is thought to have caused the damage. Photo: Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto have held “constructive” talks about a damaged Baltic gas pipeline.
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A Chinese container ship was identified by Finnish police as the main suspect after the 77km-long (48-mile) Balticconnector pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down last October in an incident in which two telecoms cables were also damaged.

The Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear container is accused of dragging its anchor across the seabed and cutting through the critical infrastructures. But Finnish police said last year that it was too early to conclude if it was an accident or a deliberate act.

Beijing has reportedly promised full cooperation with the investigation.

In a video call on Wednesday, Xi and Niinisto noted the constructive dialogue between the sides regarding the incident, the Finnish presidential office said.

The talks also touched on the war between Russia and Ukraine and its wider consequences, and Niinisto stressed China’s role in bringing about a just and lasting peace, the Finish statement said.
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