BEIJING, June 13. /TASS/. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has expressed surprise over how the US has been uncharacteristically lackadaisical in investigating the blasts that took out the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year.

"More than eight months have elapsed since the Nord Stream explosions but the investigation is advancing very slowly. It is particularly surprising that the US, which has always known how to adroitly exploit hot-button issues and seeks to play the role of torchbearer, so to speak, is not speaking up at all in this situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Tuesday.

According to him, "the inertness of the US on the issue of Nord Stream is grounds for serious puzzlement." "What is the reason for the US keeping silent? What incredible secrets are concealed in the Nord Stream incident for the US? I think that the US should present an explanation to the international community on these issues," the diplomat concluded.

On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream AG reported unprecedented damage that occurred the day before on three strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines. On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists registered two explosions on the pipeline routes. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office launched a criminal case in connection with the incident based on charges of international terrorism.