ABSTRACT

China maintains an active polar research program, where it is intensifying research in both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. In 2004, China opened its first Arctic scientific research station Huang He Zhan at Ny-Alesund in Svalbard, Norway. The scientific objective of the expedition aimed at studying the impact and response of the Arctic region to global environmental changes, and the research involved the study of the ocean, snow, ice, atmosphere, paleo-environment, ecology, remote sensing and geodesy, etc. The Chinese State Oceanic Administration organized its second scientific expedition to the Arctic. The 2007–2008 International Polar Year was a large-scale polar scientific expedition jointly planned and carried out by scientists from around the globe. China has taken steps to augment Arctic scientific cooperation and governmental dialogue with Arctic and non-Arctic states. China’s scientific community has developed substantial global collaborations and networks.