Niinistö, Xi discuss Balticconnector pipeline incident

President Sauli Niinistö on Wednesday held a video call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and discussed various bilateral and international issues including the incident of Balticconnector pipeline damage took place on October 8, 2023.

The Presidents had a good discussion on the bilateral relations between China and Finland, which were described as stable and long-standing, said the President Office in a press release.

“Bilateral dialogue and visits have resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic and the Presidents noted the constructive dialogue between the countries regarding the Balticconnector pipeline incident,” said the press release, adding that issues related to bilateral economic cooperation were also discussed.

They also had a thorough discussion on the global geopolitical situation and the importance of great power relations.

Niinistö raised the issue of the war in Ukraine and its wider consequences. Niinistö stressed the role of China in achieving a just and lasting peace.

The Presidents agreed on the importance of genuine, constructive and cross-regional dialogue in solving and preventing global problems.

They also discussed the need to combat climate change and the cooperation in matter and spoke about the EU-China relations, including recent developments and challenges.

Niinistö thanked Xi Jinping for the many important and candid bilateral discussions over the years and hoped that the high-level dialogue between the two countries will continue.

The natural gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia remained closed following a suspected leak on October 8.

On October 10, the authority said that the damage to the Baltic Connector gas pipeline and a data cable between Finland and Estonia was likely caused by an external actor, not caused by the normal gas transmission process.

Finland and Estonia are jointly investigating into the damage to the Baltic Connector gas pipeline and a data cable between the two countries.

The repairing works of the Baltic Connector gas pipeline will take at least five months.

Earlier on October 20, the National Bureau of Investigation announced that it will examine if the object found in the seabed has any connection to the damage of the undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia.

On October 24, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said that a Hong Kong flag carrier vessel Newnew Polar Bear of a Chinese shipping company is believed to have caused the damage to the Balticconnector,