Map Shows Where China and Russia Are Expanding Bases in Antarctica

Newsweek

2 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Expansion by Russia and China in Antarctica has raised concerns about the countries' military and mining ambitions for the territory.
China has announced that it will build a sixth permanent research station on the icy continent, while Russia is reopening and upgrading stations and building a new runway.
The 1961 Antarctic Treaty prohibits military activity on the continent, but experts have sounded the alarm that moves by Russia and China may transform it into another object of territorial competition.
Newsweek has mapped the extent of the countries' existing operations around the South Pole and has contacted the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
The status of Antarctica as a pristine research reserve has been challenged by infrastructure and logistic expansions by China and Russia, which have prompted alarm about whether the countries have nonscientific motivations for the southern land.
Meanwhile, the White House has announced $60 million cuts to its Antarctic funding, and representatives of the 58 Antarctic Treaty signatories discussed this month how the southern territory can remain a place for science and peace.
This image taken on March 13, 2014, shows a Chinese base on King George Island in Antarctica.
This image taken on March 13, 2014, shows a Chinese base on King George Island in Antarctica.What To Know
The Antarctic Treaty promotes international collaboration and lays aside the territorial claims of seven countries, which have all agreed not to act on their claimed ownership.
Expansion plans are within the rights of the Antarctic Treaty, but China and Russia have raised suspicions about whether their intentions will remain peaceful and are also accused of undermining conservation efforts by blocking new protections for marine areas.
In June, the United Kingdom's parliamentary environmental audit committee released a report that questioned whether Russian seismic surveys were for potential oil prospecting, rather than scientific exploration.
The report also said both Russia and China were seen as pursuing strategic interests in the region—with Moscow looking to assert its status as a polar power, while China continues to expand its Antarctic infrastructure.
China wants to build its sixth research station at Marie Byrd Land in the west of the continent to be opened in 2027. Beijing said there was no "geopolitical motive" behind the plans, according to the Australian outlet ABC.
Newsweek's map shows China's Antarctic sites, three of which are permanent and three seasonal. They are Kunlun, Taishan, Zhongshan, Qinling, Great Wall Station and a site at Inexpressible Island.
The map also shows 11 Russian sites, five of which are permanent, five seasonal and one temporarily closed. The permanent ones are at Molodezhnaya, Mirny, Novolazarevskaya, Bellingshausen and Vostok.
A U.S. Defense Department report in 2022 said China's increased presence in Antarctica was likely intended to strengthen claims to natural resources and maritime access.
Bill Muntean, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC that there were "significant questions" about Russia's and China's scientific explorations on the continent.
Jeffrey McGee, an expert in the Antarctic treaty from Australia's University of Tasmania, told the outlet that some scientific equipment installed by the countries could have dual scientific and military uses, such as infrared telescopes, GPS and ground-station receivers that can communicate with satellites.
Worries about dual-use equipment were highlighted in a June 2022 report for the Sea Power Centre Australia, which concluded that while the Antarctic has not yet reached a period of militarization, it is no longer fully nonmilitarized and used solely for peaceful purposes.
While the U.S. is the main player in the Antarctic region, the White House has announced cuts of about $60 million to its Antarctic funding, sparking concerns among experts.
Muntean told The New York Times that the U.S. has been steadily retreating from activities in Antarctica. He said that while the country isn't closing any stations, it's not repairing them or building them and has been reducing some logistics capacity.
What People Are Saying
Bill Muntean, a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Australia's ABC: "There are significant questions and concerns over activities in the oceans off Antarctica. … What are Russia and China doing with their scientific explorations?"
A U.K. parliamentary environmental audit committee report released in June said: "With rising geopolitical tensions, particularly from countries like Russia and China, the U.K.'s role in supporting the Antarctic Treaty System is growing in importance."
Sea Power Centre Australia wrote in a June 2022 report: "One of the main challenges Russia and China pose to the stability of the ATS is linked to suspicions of dual-purpose activities in the Antarctic, and notably military intelligence operation."
What Happens Next
China has said there is no "geopolitical motive" behind the expansion of its operations in Antarctica, but international concerns over the intentions of Beijing and Moscow in the icy continent are likely to continue.