U.S. media are dwelling on the geopolitical competition in Antarctica, and the People’s Republic of China moving forward rapidly there. 

It is reported that a long time ago on an island covered with glaciers, fjords and walruses, Russia built the first Orthodox church in Antarctica on a hill overlooking its scientific research base, and all the necessary lumber was shipped from Siberia. Not far from there, Chinese workers are renovating the Great Wall station.

According to a report on “The New York Times” website on Dec. 29, the Great Wall station is crucial to China’s plan to operate five bases in Antarctica. It has badminton courts (PRC took first place in the recent Olympic medal count), domes to protect satellite stations, and dormitories that can accommodate one hundred and fifty people.

The same for India. The new futuristic Perlati base is built with 134 containers and looks like a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have also announced plans to establish bases in Antarctica.

The report states that more than a hundred years ago, explorers competed to plant their national flags in Antarctica. In the coming decades, Antarctica should be protected as a scientific research base and no military or mining activities should be conducted there.

However, some countries are rushing to assert their greater influence there. These countries are looking not only at the expiration of existing conservation treaties, but also at the strategic and commercial opportunities that now exist.

“These new players are tapping into what they call a treasure trove of resources,” said Anne-Marie Brady, a professor of political science at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand who specializes in Antarctic policy.

According to the New Zealand report, some projects focus on Antarctic resources that are now accessible to all, such as rich marine life. The People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea (South), which both have advanced bases in Antarctica, are stepping up krill fishing.

Krill are small, exclusively marine crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, found in all the world’s oceans; the name krill is derived from a Norwegian word meaning “small fry; krill are considered an important trophic-level connection near the bottom of the food chain; they feed on phytoplankton and, to a lesser extent, zooplankton and are also the main food source for many larger animals; in the Antarctic Ocean, one species of krill makes up an estimated biomass of about 379 million tons, making it among the species with the largest total biomass; more than half of this biomass is eaten by whales, seals, penguins, seabirds, squid and fish; most krill species make large daily migrations, providing food for predators near the surface at night and in deeper waters during the day.

On the other hand, Russia recently blocked the creation of the world’s largest marine protected area in Antarctica.

Some scientists are currently studying the possibility of exploiting Antarctic icebergs. Antarctica is estimated to contain the largest freshwater reserves on Earth. Countries are also implementing space and satellite research projects to expand their global navigation capabilities.

Russia is expanding monitoring stations of its version of the Global Positioning System (Global’naja Navigacionnaja Sputnikovaja System: GLONASS). Moscow has at least three operational monitoring stations in Antarctica in an attempt to challenge the dominance of U.S. GPS.

Russian researchers also claimed to have recently discovered a freshwater lake the size of Lake Ontario (19,529 square kilometers) after drilling through miles of solid ice.

The 1959 Antarctic Treaty banning mining in Antarctica will expire in 2048. Recently, researchers there discovered kimberlite deposits, which suggests the presence of diamonds there. Although estimates vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica contains at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.

In addition to the Antarctic Treaty, development of these resources also faces huge obstacles, such as drifting icebergs that can endanger offshore platforms, the aforementioned report states. In addition, Antarctica is a remote place and some mineral deposits are located in areas subject to strong winds. Antarctica (14,200,000 sq. km.) is larger than Europe (10,186,000 sq. km.) and its average temperatures in the interior vary between -70° and -40° C during the coldest months in winter and between -15° and -45° C during the hottest months in summer.

However, 30 years from now, technological advances could make it much easier to reach Antarctica. Even earlier, scientists are trying to determine how climate change is beginning to alter how access to parts of this cold Continent might change. Climate change could destabilize the Antarctic ice sheet or cause an abrupt decline in krill populations in the Antarctic Ocean.

Some scholars have sounded the alarm: the demand for resources in an energy-scarce world could push interested countries to renegotiate the Antarctic Treaty and give the green light to more commercial activities before the ban in question expires.

According to the report, related activities in Antarctica by the People’s Republic of China could grow more rapidly. China’s fourth station was opened in 2014 and plans are currently underway to build a fifth. The People’s Republic of China is building a second icebreaker ship and conducting scientific drilling operations on an ice dome 4,100 meters above sea level, one of the coldest places on Earth. Chinese officials say their country’s expansion in Antarctica is focused on scientific research, but they also acknowledge that concerns about “resource security” influence their actions.

While some countries expand their activities in Antarctica, the United States of America has maintained only three active year-round stations with more than 1,000 employees during the austral summer, including those at the Amundsen-Scott station. The station was built in 1956 and is located 2,700 meters above sea level on a plateau. U.S. researchers complain that they are limited by budget constraints and have far fewer icebreakers than Russia, which prevents the United States of America from fully extending its presence in Antarctica.

Even today, Antarctica continues to have an irresistible appeal. In 2014, the Republic of Korea (South) opened its second Antarctic research station, which it said would be used to test robots developed by South Korean researchers for use in extreme environments. With Russia’s help, Belarus is preparing to build the country’s first Antarctic base. In 2015, Colombia said it plans to join other South American countries with bases in Antarctica.

Klaus Dodds, a professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London who specializes in Antarctica, said, “The old days when Antarctica was dominated by white interests and desires from Europe, Australasia and North America are over. In fact, countries have started a geopolitical competition in Antarctica.”