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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 23 May 2017

China says no mining in its immediate plans for Antarctica

MATTHEW BROWN Lin said. “According to my
Associated Press knowledge now, China has
BEIJING (AP) — China made no plans for mining
plans to expand its scientif- activity in Antarctica.”
ic research in Antarctica in About 400 representatives
coming years amid worries from 42 countries and 10
over the area’s susceptibil- international organizations
ity to climate change, but are expected to attend the
has no immediate plans 40th Antarctic Treaty meet-
to mine or develop natu- ing, which goes through
ral resources that could be June 1. China’s delega-
exposed as the ice cap tion is led by Vice Premier
shrinks, government offi- Zhang Gaoli and Yang Jie-
cials said Monday. chi, a senior foreign policy
China’s growing interest in adviser to Chinese Presi-
the frozen continent is in dent Xi Jinping.
the spotlight as it hosts a Their attendance speaks to
meeting of more than 40 the importance China at-
nations that oversee man- taches to its rising scientific
agement of Antarctica un- and technological prow-
der a 1959 treaty. ess, which includes land-
Human activity in Antarc- ing a rover on the moon
tica is governed by agree- in 2013, an increasingly
ments designating it as a sophisticated military and In this Jan. 26, 2015 file photo, Wenjun Li, a marine chemist from China, walks along the beach
natural reserve. Those pro- the maiden flight of the first in search of samples in Punta Hanna, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands archipelago, Ant-
tocols also prohibit military large Chinese-made pas- arctica.
bases and the extraction of senger jetliner earlier this Associated Press
natural resources, although month. At the Antarctica
there has been speculation meeting, Chinese officials
China one day could seek hope to sign polar cooper-
to tap into Antarctica’s ation agreements with the
mineral reserves to support United States, Russia and
its economic expansion. Germany, according to
China signed the Antarctic China’s Ministry of Foreign
treaty in 1983 and has since Affairs.
established four research Climate change and the
stations. It plans to start tourist trade also will be
construction of an airfield on the international del-
later this year and a fifth egates’ agenda.
research station as early as Last week, researchers
2018, and has a new ice- from the University of Exeter
breaker under construction in the United Kingdom re-
to augment the Xue Long, leased a study describing
a Ukrainian-built vessel cur- “fundamental and wide-
rently used to service its spread changes” on the
Antarctic missions. Antarctic Peninsula as gla-
Lin Shanqing, deputy head ciers retreat and more ar-
of the State Oceanic Ad- eas become covered with
ministration, told reporters green moss. Representa-
Monday that China wants tives of the treaty nations
“to make our contribution will examine how to adapt
to the peaceful use of the to such changes.
Antarctic as a responsible More than 38,000 tour-
and big country.” ists visited Antarctica and
“At this stage China’s Ant- surrounding waters in the
arctic expeditions and 2015-2016 season, a 29 per-
research mainly focus on cent increase from a de-
boosting our understand- cade earlier, according to
ing of the Antarctic and the International Associa-
to better conserve the tion of Antarctica Tour Op-
Antarctic environment,” erators. q