China to drill into subglacial lake in Antarctica

China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team is preparing to, for the first time, drill into a subglacial lake buried over 3,600 meters deep beneath the ice cap in Antarctica.

During the expedition, the team plans to conduct scientific drilling experiments in the Qilin Subglacial Lake for the first time, said Wei Fuhai, leader of China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team.

Using domestically built hot-water and thermal-melting drill systems, the team will carry out clean drilling and sampling through ice of 3,600 meters thick, said Wei.

China has made some early-stage preparations for the scientific drilling of the lake.

The Qilin Subglacial Lake, which was named by China in 2022, is located in the Princess Elizabeth Land in the East Antarctic inland ice sheet.

As the second-largest buried lake discovered so far in Antarctica, the lake has a developing history of around 3 million years of isolation from the outside world.

Based on cumulative data, the subglacial lake is estimated to have a surface area of 370 square kilometers with a water depth of up to 200 meters.

"Qilin Subglacial Lake is uniquely located in the stable inland area of East Antarctica. It is estimated to have formed approximately 3 million years ago, making it an ideal area for exploring subglacial lakes and life in extreme environments," said Guo Jingxue, head of the subglacial lake team of China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team, in a lecture aboard Xuelong polar research icebreaker.

The team is carrying out the mission onboard Xuelong and Xuelong 2 polar research icebreakers, and is scheduled to conclude the mission by May 2026.

Both icebreakers have now crossed the equator and entered the Southern Hemisphere.

Long covered by the ice sheet, the Antarctic subglacial lakes have unique high-pressure, low-temperature, low-nutrient and dark environmental conditions that provide unique information on biological evolution, climate change as well as the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet.

To further advance understanding of Antarctica's role in global climate change, the expedition team will collect long-term observational records in key regions such as the Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea.

Scientific drilling is the only means of obtaining physical samples from subglacial lakes. Since 2012, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia have carried out drilling into and taken samples from three other subglacial lakes in Antarctica.

China to drill into subglacial lake in Antarctica

China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.

In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.

"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.

This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.

By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.

China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.

The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.

"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.

China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting