China firmly opposes the U.S. sanctions on two Chinese companies over their alleged ties with Cuba and urges the U.S. to correct its wrongful practices as soon as possible, the Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement on Saturday.
The statement, posted on the official website of the ministry, followed the U.S. State Department's announcement on Thursday that it will sanction two Chinese companies, a move reported to be the first time that the U.S. has targeted Chinese companies over cooperation with Cuba.
"We have noticed the relevant situation. The U.S. side has imposed unilateral sanctions on Chinese enterprises under the excuse of involvement with a third party, which violates international law and the basic norms governing international relations. China firmly opposes this," said the statement.
The U.S. has recently intensified sanctions on and suppression of the Chinese side, intensively rolling out a series of discriminatory and restrictive measures, which have seriously harm the rights and interests of Chinese companies, run counter to the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, and undermine stability of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, it said.
China urges the U.S. to correct its wrongful practices as soon as possible and reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, the statement added.
China opposes U.S. sanctions on Chinese firms over Cuba cooperation: spokesperson
China opposes U.S. sanctions on Chinese firms over Cuba cooperation: spokesperson
China held a departure ceremony in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on Saturday to mark the start of its 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition.
Organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the mission will upgrade China's polar research stations and logistics network and carry out comprehensive multidisciplinary surveys and monitoring in Antarctica.
It will also pursue priority research at the frontiers of polar science, test and apply domestically developed equipment, and deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in science and logistics support.
The expedition is supported by the icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2, along with another vessel. More than 600 team members from over 100 domestic institutions are participating, and the team is expected to return to China in April 2027 after completing its tasks.
Over the past five years, China's Antarctic expeditions have made significant progress on multiple fronts including infrastructure development, independent research and development of scientific research equipment, polar scientific research, and participation in global polar governance.
The Qinling Station, the country's fifth research station in the continent which stands tall on the ice sheet, derives as much as 60 percent of its energy from clean sources, fully embodying China's "green expedition" initiative.
The Zhongshan Station airport -- completed in 2022 and put into operation in 2023 -- ended China's reliance on foreign runways for Antarctic expeditions, enhancing the country's capabilities in comprehensive Antarctic scientific research, international cooperation, and polar emergency response.
The successful testing of domestically developed polar-orbiting satellite communications has broken the long-standing reliance on foreign satellite services, and the independently developed and manufactured Snow Leopard 6×6 wheeled vehicle has been put into service, filling the gap in China's high-speed polar mobility vehicles and significantly enhancing the capabilities for rapid personnel transport, scientific research support, and emergency rescue.
"We have set a new world record for polar hot-water drilling, and led multi-country autumn and winter joint surveys in the Ross Sea and Prydz Bay of Antarctica. China also ranks first globally in both the quantity and quality of published Antarctic research papers," said Long Wei, deputy director of the Polar Expedition Office under the State Oceanic Administration.
Currently, China has initially put in place a comprehensive Antarctic survey and monitoring system with full-season and full-region coverage, supported by coordinated land, sea and air observation.
The system has removed past constraints of single-season, localized and single-site observations. It enables all-weather, integrated monitoring of multiple variables such as the Antarctic ice sheet, atmosphere, ocean, biology and geology, and supplies data for evaluating polar climate change, analyzing Southern Ocean ecological evolution and advancing targeted scientific research.
Antarctic place names serve as a direct reflection of polar research capability and governance influence. So far, 411 names proposed by China have been included by the relevant international organization, marking a significant enhancement of China's research capacity and governance voice in Antarctic geographical naming.
"These endeavors help advance comprehensive knowledge of Antarctic environmental elements and build a solid basis for understanding how Antarctic and global climate change interact," said Long.
China kicks off 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition
China kicks off 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition
