China is taking an increased interest in Antarctica, building additional outposts and research stations on the frozen continent. A location was recently selected for the fifth Antarctic research station operated by the Middle Kingdom.

Xi Jinping, president of China, traveled to the edge of the Southern Ocean in the fall of 2014 to place a long-distance marker just off the coast of Antarctica. As the national leader stood on an icebreaker, he told reporters his country will expand its operations on and around the southernmost continent.

China also signed a new pact with the government of Australia. The Land Down Under has agreed to allow ships and airplanes from China to stop at the island nation for fuel and other supplies. This agreement will significantly benefit Chinese research ships heading to Antarctica on scientific missions.

Antarctica is also believed to hold vast resources of marine life, fresh water and petroleum. Budget constraints in Australia and the United States have limited research by those two nations in recent years. The research drive by China into Antarctica has some people in the United States concerned over the intentions of leaders in Beijing.

The Antarctic Treaty, agreed upon in 1959, prohibits military activities on the frozen continent. A sister pact to that gentleman's agreement forbids mining on the landmass.

The Polar Research Institute of China recently established a new department of resources, law, geopolitics and governance in polar regions of the globe. Wildlife in the area could prove to be a major attraction for China, which must feed a population of nearly 1.36 billion people.

"We will increase our investment in the Antarctic area in terms of krill fishing. Krill provides very good quality protein that can be processed into food and medicine. The Antarctic is a treasure house for all human beings, and China should go there and share," said Liu Shenli, chairman of the China National Agricultural Development Group.

Australia benefits from its relationship with China, which provides Australian researchers with equipment and resources. However, even in Canberra, wariness can be heard in the statement of leaders.

"We should have no illusions about the deeper agenda — one that has not even been agreed to by Chinese scientists but is driven by Xi, and most likely his successors ... This is part of a broader pattern of a mercantilist approach all around the world. A big driver of Chinese policy is to secure long-term energy supply and food supply," Peter Jennings, a past official from the Australian Department of Defense and executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said.

Antarctica is home to around 10,000 species, including many varieties of fish and krill.

China established its first scientific outpost in Antarctica, The Great Wall Station, on King George Island in 1985. The most recent science base was opened in 2014.

Photo: John Lester | Flickr

TAG China, Antarctica, Australia

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