This Day, That Year: July 2

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

In July 1999, China sent its first scientific research ship, Xuelong, to the Arctic Ocean with 60 scientists aboard the icebreaker as seen in the item from China Daily, which showed the vessel heading for the Bering Sea.

Since then, the country has made remarkable progress in North Pole exploration. It has conducted nine Arctic expeditions since 1999. In 2012, Xuelong became the first Chinese vessel to traverse the Northeast Passage.

In 2017, the country announced plans to conduct scientific expeditions annually.

In 1996, China joined the International Arctic Science Committee, and in 2003 the Polar Research Institute in Shanghai established the country's first Yellow River Station at Svalbard, Norway.

Last year, China released its first official Arctic policy white paper, in which it revealed plans to encourage companies to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages with the goal of building a "Polar Silk Road".

As a result of global warming, the Arctic shipping routes, with three passages, are likely to become important transportation routes for international trade, the white paper said. They are the shortest maritime routes connecting Northeast Asia with Europe and North America.

To further explore the North Pole, China has built its first polar expedition vessel.

Xuelong 2 was built at Jiangnan Shipyard Co, and will be put into service this year.

The vessel is 122.5 meters long, 22.3 meters wide, and has a displacement of 13,990 metric tons. With a maximum speed of 15 knots, or 27.8 kilometers per hour, the icebreaker can sail on 60-day expeditions with 90 crew members and researchers. The nation has recently been paying more attention to scientific research and peaceful development in polar regions.

(China Daily 07/02/2019 page22)