Icebreaker trip not commercial: officials

Government officials Thursday denied foreign media speculation of a commercial intention behind its Arctic exploration program, nearly two weeks after the icebreaker Xuelong, also known as Snow Dragon, began the country's sixth Arctic expedition.

"The trip is more about scientific and climate research," said Wang Yong, head of the division of science programs of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration, at a press conference Thursday.

China is a "near Arctic" country, Wang noted as he attributed the exploration to China's geographical closeness with the region.

"Climate conditions in the Arctic region have a major influence on China's climate," he said.

On its sixth expedition, China's biggest and sole icebreaker Xuelong set off from its Shanghai base on July 11, and will travel over 11,000 nautical miles during its 76-day voyage, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

On July 18, Xuelong arrived at its first research site in the Bering Sea, one of the key areas of China's Arctic expedition, and surveyed the sea water. The team in the following 10 days will investigate chemistry, marine life, geology, hydrology and atmospherics at the 36 sites in the Bering Sea, said Pan Zengdi, chief of the team.

The trip has attracted overseas media attention, saying that new freight opportunities interest China along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as pack ice recedes.

Despite optimistic projections, the feasibility and cost of mass transit on the route remains a concern.

"The route may not be as economical as expected," said Wang, who predicted the cost might be higher than the existing route for one-way trade.

Wang dismissed foreign reports of China rubbing elbows with near-Arctic countries like Russia with an eye for the Arctic's rich mineral and oil resources, but admitted China and Russia can share resources under "common interest."