Sweden has sent a formal request to China to cooperate with an investigation into suspected sabotage over the sudden disruption of two submarine internet cables in the Baltic Sea earlier this month, after tracking data linked a Chinese ship to the incidents.

Sweden's prime minister says his government has formally asked China to cooperate in explaining the recent rupture of data cables on the Baltic Sea bed in an area where a China-flagged vessel was sighted.

Sweden asked for Beijing's cooperation with an investigation.China said on Friday it was ready to assist in a probe into the severing of two cables in the Baltic Sea. It comes after Sweden asked for Beijing's cooperation in the probe into the rupture of two data cables on November 17-18 in an area where a China- flagged vessel had been sighted.