China to Step Up Ocean Research as Russia Cuts Arctic Budget

China will step up the building of research vessels including polar icebreakers, mother ships for manned submersibles and comprehensive research vessels reports Xinhua, while Russia's Ministry of Finance has refused to pay for Arctic research according to news on the official website Arctic-Info.

Jiaolong, China's first manned deep-sea submersible, is scheduled for oceanic research in the southwest Indian Ocean and the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2014, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) informed Xinhua at a national maritime work conference.

Xinhua cites Liu Cigui, head of the SOA, as saying that China will positively implement the consensus on oceanic exploration to carry out resource assessments and deep-sea research.

In Russia, according to Arctic-Info the finance agency has reduced funding for projects of the Ministry of Natural Resources in the Arctic in 2014. Given the importance of the works in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation controlled by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Finance Ministry has promised to partly continue funding.

Citing an announcement by the press service of the Ministry of Finance, Arctic-Info reports that in accordance with the Federal Law of December 2, 2013 No. 349-FZ  – 'On the federal budget for the period 2014 and 2015 and 2016 planning period' –  budgetary provision is made for Roshydromet for maintenance of drifting stations, but the amount is only a fifth of the amount necessary for their operation.

Sources: Xinhua/Arctic-Info