The exclusive capability to conduct manned submarine missions in icy Arctic waters expands Beijing’s scientific and strategic influence in the North Pole
Beijing – China has announced it completed 43 dives with manned submersibles during the 2025 Arctic expedition, including coordinated operations between two underwater vehicles, an absolute first under the Arctic ice cap. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing is now the only country capable of conducting manned research missions in Arctic waters covered by thick ice.
The operations, conducted by the Fendouzhe and Jiaolong submersibles, embarked on the research vessels Tan Suo San Hao and Shen Hai Yi Hao, explored the seabeds and ecosystems of the Beaufort Sea and the Gakkel Ridge, an area contested by Russia, /Greenland and Norway for continental shelf rights.
Experts emphasize that these missions mark a technological leap in the fields of navigation, communication, and underwater safety under the ice, with Beijing consolidating its position as an emerging polar power.
«China is positioning itself to lead the global management of seabed resources,» observes Elizabeth Buchanan of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, highlighting the strategic value of such capabilities in an increasingly contested area.
Although Beijing presents its activities as scientific research for sustainable development, the growing Chinese presence in the Arctic — comprised of icebreakers, submarines, and research expeditions — is also read in a geopolitical key, in a context of competition with the United States, Russia, and Nordic countries.
The feat adds to other recent milestones: last month, a Chinese container ship completed the Asia-Western Europe link via the Arctic route for the first time in just 20 days, and an increase in voyages along the new polar corridor is expected next summer.
