China plans 8 expeditions to Arctic and Antarctic in 4 years

China plans to hold five Antarctic research expeditions and another three to the Arctic region from 2011 to 2015, Xinhua said citing an official with the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA). "Chinese researchers will focus on monitoring the weather and environment changes in the polar regions," the agency said, citing CAA head Qu Tanzhou. He said the first Antarctic research mission, and China's 28th overall, will begin next month, while China's fifth Arctic expedition is scheduled to take place next year, in early July. China also plans to build a new icebreaker before 2015, in addition to another icebreaker Xuelong ("Snow Dragon") already in operation.