Aerial photo taken on Oct 15, 2019 shows China's polar icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, that is to depart at the Shekou cruise home port in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province. China's first domestically made polar icebreaker Xuelong 2 started its maiden voyage to the Antarctic from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen Tuesday. Xuelong 2 set sail on the country's 36th Antarctic expedition. Another icebreaker named Xuelong will also join the expedition, making it the first time that two polar icebreakers work together on China's Antarctic expedition. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Business Insider: China's first homemade icebreaker heads to the Arctic as Trump looks for 10 more of them from 'a certain place'
The Xuelong 2, China's first domestically built icebreaker left Shanghai on July 15 for its first trip to the Arctic.
It's not the first time a Chinese icebreaker has gone to the Arctic, but the ship and the trip underscore Chinese ambitions for the region at a time when many countries are pursuing their interests there.
China's first domestically built icebreaker left this month for its first trip to the Arctic, a few days after President Donald Trump said the US was pursuing as many as 10 new icebreakers of its own, underscoring the growing interest major powers have in being able to access the region.
Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, left Shanghai on July 15 for a scientific expedition to the Arctic and is expected to return in late September. Scientists aboard the ship plan to research Arctic biodiversity and ecosystems to improve China's understanding of climate change in the Arctic, according to state media.
The Xuelong, which China bought in the 1990s, has already traveled to the Arctic. While Xuelong 2's trip isn't a first for Beijing, it adds credibility to China's polar ambitions, according to Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan, a lecturer at Deakin University in Australia.
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WNU Editor: This may surprise some people, but China has made claims to parts of the Arctic .... China Wants To Lay Claim To The Arctic (April 6, 2014).
