Aerial photo provided by the Swedish Coast Guard on Sep 27, 2022 shows the gas leak from Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea. Photo:Xinhua

Considering that the impact of the Nord Stream blast has been enormous, and most members of the international community have demanded the truth behind the incident, China supports Russia's draft resolution that calls on the UN to launch an international investigation into the blast and supports the UN Security Council in having discussions over relevant issues, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the ministry, made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a media inquiry, which cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that the US and some other Western countries at the Security Council broke silence procedure started by Russia on the Security Council draft resolution on the Nord Stream pipelines. The US-led Western members raised an objection to the establishment of an international independent investigation commission, according to the sources.

Wang said the draft resolution proposed by Russia is meant to call on the UN to launch an international investigation into the blast. China agrees to this approach and supports the Russian draft resolution. 

International investigations under the auspices of the UN, the most authoritative and representative international organization, can forge synergy with existing national inquiries and lead to the truth sooner, Wang noted.

China supports the Security Council in having discussions over relevant issues and plays a constructive part in the negotiations of the draft resolution. Some developing countries sitting on the Security Council have also put forward legitimate propositions and recommendations, said Wang.

Commenting on the objections raised by some Western members of the UN Security Council, Wang said we hope they will be mindful of their responsibility for truth, abandon geopolitical and selfish interests, credibly fulfill their duty and responsibility as members of the Security Council, participate in the negotiations of the draft resolution constructively, and work for early consensus on the resolution.

On September 26, 2022, two Russian underwater pipelines carrying natural gas to Europe, the Nord Stream I and II, exploded on the same day under the Baltic Sea. After the explosion, the US, the EU, NATO and Russia all said the blast was caused by sabotage. 

China urges an objective, impartial and professional investigation into the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline, which has been called the energy lifeline of Europe, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said earlier. The explosion had a significant negative impact on the global energy market and the global ecological environment, and had even sent Europe into a winter energy crisis. Given the harm of damaging major transnational infrastructure and the serious consequences, the international community has the right to demand a thorough investigation.

Recently, a bombshell story by renowned American investigative reporter Seymour Hersh that revealed the US' culpability in the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline attracted global attention.

In an interview with the Global Times, Hersh revealed that the order to blow up the pipeline was issued directly by US President Joe Biden. Hersh also stated that he believes the Biden administration won't see a positive end to the Ukraine crisis. 

Chinese experts stressed the importance of promoting the UN-led investigation into the Nord Stream sabotage while noting that launching such a probe under the existing UN mechanism could be very difficult because the US - one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - would obstruct or object to the investigation proposal.

However, promoting the investigation and the relevant debates over the incident in the UN will at least expose the US' double standards.

It will also unveil that what the US has done was destructive to international security, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Therefore, although it could be hard under the UN system to finish the probe on this matter, all parties still need to push forward the investigation, which at least would have a warning and alerting effect on the truly responsible party, Li said.

In the China-Russia Joint Statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era signed Tuesday by the Chinese and Russian heads of state in Moscow, the two countries called for an objective, impartial and professional investigation into the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline. 

If the UN-led investigation proves that the US was the culprit of the Nord Stream sabotage, it would damage the US' alliance with Europe, so presumably the perpetrator would do everything it can to prevent a UN investigation, Li pointed out.