China is willing to continue its contribution to the peaceful use of Antarctica, said Chen Lianzeng, deputy director of the National Bureau of Oceanography (NBO) on Wednesday.

"The peaceful use of the South Pole in the future will be a common blessing for all humankind," Chen told Xinhua in an exclusive interview, a day before the departure of the country's 26th scientific expedition to Antarctica.

25 years of expedition

Chen said, over the past 25 years, China had built a solid structure of Antarctic exploration, based on its icebreaker, Xuelong, or "Snow Dragon", and three research stations.

Chinese scientists had conducted 25 expeditions since 1983, totaling approximately 4,000 person-visits, he added.

China's history of Antarctic expedition dates back to 1983, when China joined the Antarctic Treaty and became a member of the organization. It started its first Antarctic expedition in October1984.

China established its first scientific station in Antarctica in February 1985. The Changcheng (Great Wall) Station is located south of King George Island.

In February 1989, China built its second research base, Zhongshan Station, which is south of Prydz Bay on the Mirror Peninsula, eastern of the Larsemann Hills.

On January 27, China set up its third Antarctic research station -- Kunlun station -- at Dome Argus, the highest point on the Antarctic inland icecap. It was the country's first research station on the continent's inland, marking a significant step in polar exploration

Fruitful results

The exploration program had been fruitful, yielding plenty of data and information and making great scientific breakthroughs, Chen said.

For instance, a study of Pan-African movement of the earth's crust had helped further understand the crustal evolution at the Southeast pole and China now possessed nearly 10,000 Antarctic aerolites, or remnants of meteorites, the third largest collection in the world.

Furthermore, Chinese scientists had accomplished their preliminary glaciology observations along a traverse from the Zhongshan Station to Dome A, laying a good foundation for the study of the continent's inland icecap.

Chinese scientists also had plenty of achievements in other fields such as bionomics, glaciology, environment evolution, climate, earthquake observation and so on, which enriched understanding of the region.

Seeking breakthroughs

With regard to China's future strategy on polar region development, Chen said the NBO is drawing up its 12th five-year project, which specified national targets comprising three general parts.

The first part is to further deepen the knowledge of the two polar regions, especially their conservation of resources and impacts on the global climate change, Chen said.

The second part is to further strengthen China's practical experience in the two regions with comprehensive scientific exploration activities, and the third was to take an active part in international polar affairs and establish China's strategic position, Chen added.

To accomplish such goals, the NBO intended to build both "soft power" and "substantial power," Chen said.

Major "soft power" programs would be set up to tangibly upgrade China's scientific exploration on the South Pole, and these would be deployed and financed uniformly by the state to integrate scientific research resources for major achievements.

A set of "substantial power" measures were under consideration, Chen said.

The State Council has approved the manufacture of a polar region icebreaker, with construction of a special wharf also to be accelerated, Chen said, adding that the completion of related facilities, including warehouses and a training base, would make China one of only several countries in the world with an independent base for polar region exploration.

Meanwhile, China would also equip its long-standing station in the Antarctica with a fixed-wing plane to improve the capabilities of fast reaction to emergencies.

Peaceful use

Antarctica is the only land on earth without attributive sovereignty, and outright disputes and hidden battles for the land and its rich store of mineral resources have never stopped.

In these circumstances, the idea of "making a contribution to human beings' peaceful use of the South Pole" brought forward by China's late former leader Deng Xiaoping remained applicable, Chen said.

The idea would not be out of date in the near future and China would stick to that goal, he said.

Chen said that, as a responsible major state, China is willing to cooperate with other nations through the platform of Kunlun Station, the only station over 4,000 meters above sea level on the continent, and make due contribution to the exploration of the two polar regions.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2009)