Chinese Arctic Expedition Head Announces Trip Will Focus Only On Climate Studies - Xinhua

You know, as opposed to planting flags or claiming strata of rock likely to contain oil . . .

China's scientific expedition to the North Pole is purely aimed at studies on climate change in the area rather than exploration of natural resources, the expedition's chief scientist said Friday.

"The impact of global environmental change on the North Pole and China's climate has been a goal of China's polar expeditions in recent years, and all China's scientific expeditions to the North Pole had been trying to pursue that goal," said Zhang Haisheng, chief scientist of the expedition team that kicked off its Arctic journey Friday.

China's third scientific expedition to the North Pole, which kicked off on Friday, has two major objectives, Zhang said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua aboard the icebreaker Xuelong, or the Snow Dragon.

One is to further identify the drastic environmental changes in the pole, based on two previous expeditions to the region, and the subsequent impact on ecology, environment and climate, said Zhang, also director of the Hangzhou-based No. 2 Research Institute under the State Oceanic Administration. The other is to study the climate, economic and social impact of the environmental changes in the North Pole on China, said Zhang.

EDIT

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90781/90879/6449077.html

they are taking a hard look at how they can extract the oil. You know, what will they have to move, melt or change...in the climate

edited to add my :cynicism: button