Chinese, Chilean scientists to launch joint research in Antarctica

Scientists from China's Polar Research Institute and Chile's Antarctic Institute will launch a series of joint research projects in the South Pole region, local media reported Friday.

The researchers will carry out studies on Antarctic oceanography and marine biology, and on the effects of climate change.

"We are taking a leap forward in scientific cooperation," said Edgardo Vega, deputy director of the Chilean institute.

Scientists from both nations will also meet for the second time in mid-2016 in Shanghai, he said, to determine in what other ways they can collaborate.

The two countries currently cooperate, but only in the area of logistics, with Chile providing services and assistance from a base in Punta Arenas, the country's southernmost city and the one closest to Antarctica.

"While we have long had logistical cooperation, it's key for Chile to be not just a departure point for the Antarctic, but to undertake scientific research in association with China's research policy," said Jorge Flies, the mayor of Chile's southern Magallanes Region.

The first bilateral meeting of scientists included three Chinese researchers: Meng Zhou and Yiwu Zhu, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Yushang Zhang, from Shandong University.

China's Polar Research Institute manages four polar research stations and operates the icebreaking vessel Xue Long, or Snow Dragon.

The state-run institute, overseen by Chile's foreign affairs ministry, said the Chinese researchers are expected to arrive soon at Punta Arenas aboard the icebreaker to take their Chilean counterparts on board. Endi