The Chinese icebreaker Xue Long departed Shanghai on June 27 for a three-month expedition that will take it to the Arctic. 120 people are on board, including scientists from France, Denmark, Iceland, and Taiwan. According to China Daily, researchers will study the effects of changes in the Arctic ecosystem on the climate of China and the globe at large. Huigen Yang, Director of the Polar Research Institute of China, stated, “The expedition will be the longest and farthest among [sic] China’s Arctic exploration history and is expected to fulfill the most missions.” The icebreaker’s last trip to the circumpolar north was in 2010 when it studied Arctic sea ice from July 1 – September 20. A brief overview of the 2010 journey is available on the website of one the expedition’s researchers, Dr. Hongjin Xie. Xue Long has also gone on longer trips before: in April, it returned from a 163-day voyage to Antarctica, its 28th trip to the remote continent.
A press release on Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE)’s website states that scientists will research sea ice in and around the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, Canada Basin, and the Mendeleev Ridge. After traversing through the Arctic Ocean, Xue Long will sail to Iceland for a five-day research visit. China and Iceland have good diplomatic relations and have lately been strengthening their cooperation in the Arctic. In April, Premier Wen Jiabao visited Iceland to discuss issues such as free trade and geothermal energy development. His was the first visit from a Chinese head of state in forty years. Xue Long will now be the first Chinese icebreaker to visit the North Atlantic nation.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
