WASHINGTON – Work by China to construct a fifth research facility in Antarctica has resumed after lying dormant for years, reported dpa, quoting a Washington-based national security think tank.
Beijing’s “growing physical footprint” in the southern polar region “serves to advance China’s broader strategic and military interests,” the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report released yesterday, based on new satellite imagery.
Without making any territorial claims, China has been expanding its presence in the resource-rich region. This has raised fears in the West that Beijing may have economic and military ambitions for the remote continent.
China’s newest facility is located on Inexpressible Island, near the Ross Sea, which should help “fill in a major gap in China’s coverage of the continent’s expansive coastline,” the report said.
Construction began in 2018 but for years, little work was carried out. Now, the satellite photos show “significant progress” was recently made.
“Once completed, the 5,000-square metre station is expected to include a scientific research and observation area, an energy facility, a main building, a logistics facility, and a wharf built for China’s Xuelong icebreakers,” the CSIS report said.
It will also have a satellite ground station, which the think tank says would be of service to both scientific endeavours and the Chinese military’s expansive surveillance operations.
Specifically, CSIS said the ground station could intercept signals intelligence from Australia and New Zealand.
About 30 countries, all signatories to the Antarctic Treaty that sets the area aside as a scientific preserve and bans military activity, operate seasonal or year-round research stations on the continent.
China established its first Antarctic base – the Great Wall Station on King George’s Island – in 1985. – Bernama, April 19, 2023
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