China expresses concern over reports on U.S. involvement in Nord Stream explosions

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- If the reports from investigative journalist Seymour Hersh on U.S. involvement in the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines are true, the United States owes the world a responsible explanation, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday.

According to Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize winner, U.S. divers installed explosives under the Nord Stream pipelines during the NATO military exercise BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) in the summer of 2022, and detonated them in September.

Mao told a daily news briefing that the Nord Stream gas pipelines are vital transnational infrastructure, and the explosions have had a serious impact on the global energy market and ecological environment.

"If Hersh is telling the truth, what he revealed is clearly unacceptable and must be answered for," Mao said.