Chinese research vessel Tansuo-1 returns with major deep-sea discoveries

China

Chinese research vessel Tansuo-1 returns with major deep-sea discoveries

2026-05-10 16:44 Last Updated At：19:07

After 156 days at sea and a journey spanning more than 40,000 kilometers, the Chinese scientific research ship Tansuo-1 returned to Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, on Sunday with major deep-ocean discoveries.

The vessel carried the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), which completed 63 dives, including 50 deeper than 6,000 meters, during a groundbreaking Pacific expedition and conducted the first China-Chile joint crewed exploration of the Atacama Trench.

Scientists from six countries, namely China, Chile, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Spain, collected rare biological and geological samples and captured stunning high-definition footage from some of the deepest places on Earth.

Among the key discoveries was the first finding of an ecosystem supported by geological fluid in the sunless deep sea of the southern hemisphere, providing crucial evidence for the "global chemosynthetic life corridor" hypothesis.

The team also recorded a rich variety of hadal organisms, including at least three types of snailfish, and large numbers of benthic creatures, many of which are believed to be previously unknown species.

In addition, researchers identified seabed fault-rupture structures linked to historic major earthquakes, offering in-situ evidence for understanding how seismic activity shapes deep-sea landforms and affects marine habitats.

China records ten consecutive quarters of trade growth with ASEAN

China has recorded ten consecutive quarters of growth in imports and exports with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the data for the second quarter of this year from the General Administration of Customs GAC) showed on Tuesday.

China's trade with ASEAN reached 4.34 trillion yuan (about 640 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, marking an 18.2-percent increase compared to the same period of last year, according to GAC.

"In the first half of this year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN stood at 4.34 trillion yuan, up 18.2 percent year on year on. Of this total, imports and exports in the second quarter accounted for 2.37 trillion yuan which represented a year-on-year growth of 20.2 percent and marking the 10th consecutive quarter of growth.," said Lyu Daliang, a spokesman for the customs bureau, at a press briefing.

"China and ASEAN have continuously strengthened infrastructure connectivity. In the first half of the year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN via the new western land-sea corridor grew by 18.2 percent, with railway and highway transport increasing by 24.7 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively," Lyu said.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.