Chinese in the Antarctic

Press, 2 July 1985, Page 20

Chinese in the Antarctic

The reports about, the behaviour of some Chinese on King George Island in the Antarctic make sad reading. It appears to be clear that some of the Chinese taken to King George Island had not been instructed on what was acceptable behaviour in the Antarctic. They were there to build China’s first Antarctic base. The problem of construction crews going to Antarctica and not treating the environment with the respect scientists might be expected to show is not unique to China. The way of overcoming this is for the construction crews to undergo proper briefings; and it is reassuring that the chief of the Chinese Antarctic station, Mr. Guo Kun, has said that the Chinese will “draw lessons and intensify education for team members.” It cannot be expected that a team building a base will treat the area with the same reverence that Chinese and other scientists treat it; but there should be no more reports of any maltreatment of penguins or reckless disregard for scientific experiments. The report said that the Chinese had wanted to set up their base in an area in which West Germans were already conducting experiments. It is an interesting reflection on activity in the Antarctic that an area for a construction site should be disputed. King George Island is 70km long and 25km wide. It is the largest island in the South Shetland group, lying off the Antarctic Peninsula, and is between Antarctica and Chile. In spite of the small size of the island there are seven bases on it, three of which will become permanent and occupied during the winter as well as during the summer. The Chinese, Uruguayan, and Brazilian bases will all become permanent. One report says that 600 Chinese were landed on the island. At certain periods King George Island may properly be regarded as being overpopulated. Next year, Chile will open up its King George Island base as a tourist resort. Some countries are planning to establish colonies of families on the Antarctic continent. The problems of urbanisation in Antarctica are already attracting the attention of the environmental group, Greenpeace.

As yet, China is not a full consultative member of the Antarctic Treaty. Once it has put a scientific establishment in the Antarctic it will have strengthened its claim to become a consultative party to .the treaty.

At present, 16 countries are consultative parties. China, like the others, will be required to make the results of its scientific work known and, also like the other countries, must declare the vehicles and weapons which are held at the base. China will then become integrated into the Antarctic Treaty system. To some extent this system is self-regulatory, though Greenpeace plans to set up its own team of observers in Antarctica and this organisation has shown itself vigorous in defending the wildlife of the area.

A challenge is being made to the Antarctic Treaty system. Malaysia has sought a role for the United Nations in the Antarctic and this point will be debated in the General Assembly of the United Nations again this year, possibly in October. While the reported abuses on King George Island occurred under the Antarctic Treaty system, there is every reason to believe that such occurrences would become more frequent under any other system. The thrust of the Antarctic Treaty, and the system that implements it, is to preserve the Antarctic environment. The motivating force in the move to have the United Nations control the Antarctic was that riches might be had from the area and these riches should not be solely for the benefit of those in the Antarctic club. The Chinese will presumably learn quickly about the ways to preserve the environment in the Antarctic and the countries which are members of the Antarctic Treaty system will, as they have in the past, hold the Antarctic in trust for mankind. A clamour for a share in resources that might be discovered in the Antarctic, and endless international argument between countries that have no acquaintance with the region will do very little to advance the objects that have been upheld by the treaty countries.