China kicks off 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition

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

China's foreign exchange reserves rose in October from the previous month and have remained above 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars for seven consecutive months, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Saturday.

Data show that as of the end of October 2026, China's foreign exchange reserves stood at 3.4052 trillion U.S. dollars, up 4.9 billion U.S. dollars, or 0.14 percent, from the end of September.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange said that in October 2026, influenced by factors of global macroeconomic data and monetary policies and expectations of major economies, the U.S. dollar index rose, and prices of major global financial assets showed mixed movements.

The combined effects of currency translation and changes in asset prices led to the increase in the scale of foreign exchange reserves that month.

China's economy has been operating generally steadily and has achieved new results in high-quality development, providing support for the basic stability of the scale of foreign exchange reserves.

"In October, the U.S. dollar index strengthened slightly amid fluctuations, dragging down the U.S. dollar-converted value of non-U.S. dollar reserve assets. At the same time, long-term government bond yields in major economies such as the United States, Germany, Japan and Britain fell, while bond prices rebounded, providing support for the valuation of reserve assets. Overall, the scale of China's foreign exchange reserves has remained generally stable and risen steadily. The fundamentals of China's economy, which is improving over the long term, have provided solid support for the basic stability of foreign exchange reserves. Through diversified allocation and proactive management, China's reserve assets have enhanced their ability to hedge risks, maintained safety and liquidity, and provided strong guarantees for stabilizing market expectations and responding to external shocks," said Li Liuyang, chief forex analyst at research department of China International Capital Corporation.

China's foreign exchange reserves rise in Oct