Chinese envoy urges disclosing results of investigation into Nord Stream explosions

China

Chinese envoy urges disclosing results of investigation into Nord Stream explosions

2025-08-27 13:39 Last Updated At：17:37

A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday urged disclosure of investigation results into the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, emphasizing that the international community deserves a clear explanation.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, stressed that the Nord Stream pipeline explosions is a serious act of sabotage against transnational energy infrastructure, which has had negative impacts on global energy supply, marine ecological environment, and maritime navigation safety.

The UN Security Council, along with many of its members including China, has repeatedly called for an objective, fair, and professional investigation to uncover the truth and hold those responsible accountable, said Geng.

"UN Security Council members previously debated whether to conduct an international investigation or national inquiries into the incident. At the time, some members strongly advocated giving Sweden, Denmark and Germany time to carry out national inquiries. However, three years have passed, and we still have not received a clear conclusion or the full truth regarding the Nord Stream pipeline explosions. Sweden and Denmark have already ended their investigations without disclosing any substantive information. Germany's probe continues, but official updates remain very limited. For a long time, the public has had to rely on media leaks and speculation to understand the situation, which is abnormal," said Geng.

China has noted reports regarding the recent arrest of a suspect and the related joint letter sent by Germany, Sweden and Denmark to the UN Security Council. However, these actions fall short of addressing the international community's concerns and doubts, said Geng.

Geng stressed that the truth must not be concealed, the investigation must not be politicized, similar incidents must not recur, and the perpetrators must not go unpunished.

On Sept. 26, 2022, unprecedented explosions caused severe damage to the Nord Stream pipelines, including three of the four lines of Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2, the latter of which had not been put into operation.

U.S. consumer confidence index falls to 89.1 in December

The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index fell to 89.1 in December, down from November's revised 92.9, The Conference Board said Tuesday.

The figure is also lower than market expectations of 91.9, showing that U.S. consumers are more pessimistic about current business and labor conditions amid continued economic uncertainty as the year closes.

The Present Situation Index, based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, plunged 9.5 points to 116.8 in December. The Expectations Index, based on consumers' short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, held steady at 70.7, remaining below the recession threshold of 80.

Consumers' assessments of current business conditions turned mildly pessimistic in December, with 18.7 percent of consumers saying business conditions were "good," down from 21 percent in November, and 19.1 percent saying business conditions were "bad," up from 15.8 percent.

Consumers' views of the labor market were also weaker in December, as 26.7 percent of consumers said jobs were "plentiful," down from 28.2 percent in November, and 20.8 percent said jobs were "hard to get," up from 20.1 percent.

Looking ahead, consumers' outlook for income prospects was slightly less positive in December, as 18.4 percent of consumers expected their incomes to increase, up from 17.6 percent in November, while 14.7 percent expected their incomes to decrease, up from 12.5 percent. "Consumers' write-in responses on factors affecting the economy continued to be led by references to prices and inflation, tariffs and trade, and politics. However, December saw increases in mentions of immigration, war, and topics related to personal finances -- including interest rates, taxes and income, banks, and insurance, according to Dana Peterson, chief economist of The Conference Board.