China is about to build two Antarctic research stations

China is about to build two more research stations in Antarctica, increasing their total base to 5.

A summer facility, scheduled to be used between December and March, will be built between two existing stations, Kunlun (Kunlun) and Zhongshan (Zhongshan) on the ice continent, Xinhua quoted the Oceanographic Bureau China on March 29 confirmed.

The Kunlun Station is located atop an ice cap in the east of Antarctica, while Zhongshan is 1,280km from the Antarctic coast.

Chinese Zhongshan Station in Antarctica. (Photo: Rednet)

The new station will be used to study geology, glaciers, geomagnetic and atmospheric science. A year-round station will be built in the Victoria Land in Ross Beach, to serve a multidisciplinary research on biology and remote satellite detection. An expedition team is conducting field inspections and two research stations will be completed before 2015.

China's existing third station, the Great Wall Station, is located on King George Island off the Antarctic Peninsula.

About 30 countries, all members of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, are running research facilities in Antarctica. This treaty reduces the possibility of confrontations due to territorial disputes in Antarctica.

At the other end of the globe, China is seeking to expand its presence in the Arctic, which is believed to have enormous resources, and is home to maritime routes to Europe.

Antarctica is the target of more than 80% of China's extreme expeditions and is considered to be the polar center of the country, according to a report last year by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.