In a development that highlights ambitious plans for more power and economic hegemony, the Chinese authorities announced that they will start in November their first airport in the Antarctic Antarctic, amid increasing global attention to these remote areas under climate change.
Chinese researchers began earlier studies on the project in preparation for the establishment of the facility, which will be able to receive the plane, "Eagel 601," a small vehicle, as revealed by the newspaper "Kiji" of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.
China needs to provide the necessary infrastructure for its Antarctic activities, it said, adding that the project supports China's space efforts and the airport is expected to be able to receive larger aircraft later.
Some countries now rely on limited runways that receive small aircraft for scientific research, and the United States oversees five of these platforms.
Interest in this frozen region has grown over recent times amid expectations that it will play a very prominent role in future trade routes, prompting Beijing to make significant investments to the South Pole.
The researcher at the University of Canterbury, Anne-Marie Brady, believes that China has moved from a limited role in the Antarctic frozen to a remarkable leadership in less than ten years.
Last January, China announced its ambition to establish a "polar silk route" to create shipping corridors in the Arctic, especially as the climate changes in our planet are removing glaciers that had previously impeded this task.
