China launches new Antarctic station, seeking 'Polar Great Power' status

China has launched its first atmospheric monitoring station in Antarctica, which began operations earlier this week. This move is seen as a step toward China’s goal of becoming a "polar great power," News.az reports citing foreign media.

The National Atmospheric Background Station, which is part of the Zhongshan station, officially began its operations on December 1, to commemorate World Antarctica Day.

The station is the first of its kind to have been established in Antarctica for China, but the ninth of its kind outside of the polar region, according to the China Meteorological Association.

Not only will the station "bolster global response to climate change," but it will also provide "continuous and long-term operational observation of the change of atmospheric composition and concentration in Antarctica," the meteorological association announced.

China's move to boost its presence in the polar region could be part of the country's aim to become a "polar great power," which was something President Xi Jinping mentioned during a speech in November 2014, according to the Australian Policy Institute.

Experts have previously argued that China's activities in Antarctica appear to be "designed to ensure that China will not be left out should there be beneficial opportunities in Antarctica in the future," as Nong Hong from the Institute for China-America Studies wrote in a 2021 paper published by Science Direct.

Hong's report added that China has a two-fold approach towards Antarctic governance, writing that the country is "generally both supportive of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) and also keen to make its own mark in shaping future development of the ATS in a manner that promotes China's interests."

The Antarctic Treaty System is a treaty that was signed by 12 countries in 1959 to ensure the continent is demilitarized, free of nuclear testing and a peaceful space for science collaboration.

Although, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, states are "exploiting the treaty and its subordinate protocols to pursue their national interests." Antarctica offers a wide range of natural resources and scientific opportunity, including potential reserves of between 300 and 500 billion tons of natural gas on the continent and 135 billion tons of oil in the Southern Ocean, the institute reported.

As a result, concern has been raised about states' approaches towards the region in light of the treaty and the abundance of resources the polar region provides. Per the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the Chinese government's strategic approach to Antarctica is part of its national security policy, where the region and Southern Ocean are included in areas for future influence and dominance.

The institute also wrote that, since 2011, the Chinese Communist Party's five-year plans explicitly characterize the polar regions as a "new strategic frontier."

China's launch of the new atmospheric monitoring station comes after 16 years of scientific research and innovation, according to the China Meteorological Administration. The new station is part of the Zhongshan Station.

The Zhongshan station was opened in 1989, and is China's second research station in Antarctica.

News.Az