China's 42nd Antarctic Expedition team nears completing supply unloading surrounding Zhongshan Station

The supply transport mission is carried out by Snow Eagle 601 -- China's first fixed-wing aircraft for polar flight -- which takes only about one hour and 10 minutes to deliver personnel and materials from Zhongshan Skiway, the airstrip near Zhongshan Station, to its destination, the Grove Mountains.

This airstrip, built on the Antarctic ice sheet, is China's first permanent airfield on the continent. Although modest in scale and equipped only with basic facilities, it fully meets operational needs.

Along the sides of the approximately 1,600-meter-long ice runway, small flags of various colors mark its boundaries. To withstand the frequent strong winds in Antarctica, the flags are deliberately perforated with round holes to allow wind to pass through.

"They were intentionally made this way to let the wind through. Green flags indicate a turn can be made between them for aircraft to taxi off, while red flags mark the end of the runway," said Jiang Yifei, member of the aviation team for China's 42nd Antarctic expedition.

Not far from the runway, several container-based structures stand. Among them, a two-story building flying China's national flag serves as the terminal of Zhongshan Skiway.

Unlike conventional terminals, it has no check-in counters. Its ground floor functions as both a kitchen and a lounge.

Located on the Antarctic ice sheet and far from natural water sources, the terminal's chef collects clean snow outdoors daily. Melted snow supplements the water supply for daily use, acting as a reserve alongside bottled water and other supplies.

"I go outside every day to shovel snow, always from the upwind side where it's cleanest," said the chef Yang Yongchuan.

While the facilities at the airstrip are simple, they have enabled Snow Eagle 601 to carry out multiple aerial missions swiftly across the ice-covered continent since commencing operations in March 2023.

"This is a snow-surface runway on ice. Large wheeled aircraft cannot land here. Snow Eagle 601, however, has been modified with skis, giving it much greater adaptability," said Zhao Duanran, captain of the aviation team.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Snow Eagle 601's service in China's Antarctic expeditions. Over the past decade, the aircraft has played an increasingly vital role in personnel and material transport, aerial scientific surveys, international cooperation, and emergency rescue operations.

Zhao Duanran said that, for a long time after Snow Eagle 601 entered service, it had to rely on other countries' ice runways to operate.

"Back then, we used Zenit Airfield at the Russian Antarctic station 'Progress.' Using their facility required paying fees, and it wasn't convenient. Landing, refueling -- everything needed their approval," Zhao said.

Through persistent efforts by China's Antarctic expedition teams, the country's first Antarctic airstrip -- Zhongshan Skiway -- officially began regular summer operations in March 2023.

In its ten years of service, Snow Eagle 601 has completed eight Antarctic expedition missions, accumulating over 1,100 operational days, 2,500 safe flight hours, and roughly 800,000 kilometers in total flight distance -- equivalent to circling the Earth's equator 20 times.

The flight network established by Snow Eagle 601 within Antarctica radiates from its base at Zhongshan Station, reaching more than 20 Chinese and international research stations, including China's Kunlun Station, Russia's Progress Station, Australia's Davis Station, and the United States' McMurdo Station.

China's 42nd Antarctic Expedition team nears completing supply unloading surrounding Zhongshan Station

China's 42nd Antarctic Expedition team nears completing supply unloading surrounding Zhongshan Station

China's 42nd Antarctic Expedition team nears completing supply unloading surrounding Zhongshan Station

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival