Chinese icebreaker steams for Antarctica in polar power play

BEIJING: The Chinese ice-breaker Xuelong steamed south from Shanghai yesterday 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 which 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.

China has rapidly built up activities on the continent, building new bases and commissioning polar-capable ships and aircraft. Officials say it intends to become a “polar power.” “The fact that China has coined this new term and has made it an important part of their foreign policy shows the level of ambition and forward thinking that China has,” said Anne-Marie Brady, a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center. —AFP