Chinese icebreaker steams for Antarctica in polar power play
The 334-person crew of the Xuelong plan to establish a temporary base on Inexpressible Island, China’s fifth on the frozen continent
The Chinese icebreaker Xuelong steamed south from Shanghai on Wednesday bound for Antarctica, where it will establish China’s newest base as Beijing strives to become a polar power.
China is a latecomer in the race for pole position but its interest in Antarctica has grown along with its economic might. The new station will be the fifth Chinese foothold on the frozen continent, more than some nations that got there earlier.
China is ploughing money into polar exploration and research as other countries like the United States pull back under funding constraints and a glut of other global priorities.
An international treaty suspends all territorial claims to Antarctica, essentially setting it aside as a scientific preserve.
That “provides a precious opportunity to quickly develop China’s polar bases”, Qin Weijia, director of the China Arctic and Antarctic Administration, said at an annual meeting on the poles last month.