China wants to join Russia in Arctic expedition

China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) is planning its 7th Arctic research expedition in 2016 and wil for the first time try to arrange a joint Arctic Ocean expedition with Russia, Chinese news agency Xinhua reports.

China, which was granted permanent observer status in the Arctic Council in 2013, has enhanced its focus on Arctic development in the last years.  Shipping, research and access to the natural resources are the main reasons for China’s increased interests in the Arctic. The country set up its first Arctic scientific research base, Yellow River Station, on Svalbard already in 2004.

In 2012 the icebreaker “Xue Long” (Snow Dragon) became the first Chinese polar expedition to sail all along the Northern Sea Route into the Barents Sea. Upon return the vessel sailed a straight line from Iceland to the Bering Strait via the North Pole, the so-called “future central Arctic shipping route”.

In 2013 the China-Nordic Research Center (CNARC) was established in Shanghai. The center consists of ten member institutes – four Chinese and six Nordic from Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden. CNARC’s purpose is to provide a platform for academic cooperation to increase awareness, understanding and knowledge of the Arctic and its global impacts. The center shall also promote cooperation for sustainable development of the Nordic Arctic and coherent development of China in a global context. 

China also wants to to enhance scientific research in the Antarctic, and plans to establish an air service team for Antarctic exploration “which will help form a full monitoring platform of the land, sea and air.” Technology and equipment adapted to the polar environment as well as monitoring and application service systems will be developed, the State Oceanic Administration said.