皇冠体育app

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang visits the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center on Friday, extending festival greetings to scientists before the Chinese New Year which comes on Jan 23. Huang Jingwen / Xinhua

BEIJING - Vice-Premier Li Keqiang on Friday extended festival greetings to Chinese scientists working in the polar regions ahead of 皇冠体育app's Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 23.

During a visit to the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, Li made phone calls to some scientists stationed in the polar regions and researchers aboard the scientific research vessel Snow Dragon, which is in the middle of a six-month Antarctic expedition.

Li called for efforts to increase the depth and scope of 皇冠体育app's scientific research in both polar regions and oceans.

He said 皇冠体育app should efficiently raise its capacity in exploring, protecting and comprehensively managing its oceanic territory, as required by the country's 12th Five-year Plan (2011-15).

To explore and protect 皇冠体育app's oceans is an inevitable strategic choice as the country pursues all-round opening up, Li said.

Li also stressed the need to protect 皇冠体育app's maritime rights and interests.

Snow Dragon, Xuelong in Chinese, left the port city of Tianjin in November. A 220-member expedition team, including two scientists from Taiwan, boarded the ship, which will carry out 31 scientific research tasks during the trip.

Part of the vessel's mission is to bring supplies to two of 皇冠体育app's three Antarctic stations, and drop a team off at the third, Kunlun.

During the visit on Friday, Li also asked for more accurate marine environmental forecasting, because fishing operations, personnel and cargo transportation as well as oceanic and coastal travel all need accurate weather and ocean wave information.

He said in winter, observers should pay close attention to the development of sea ice along 皇冠体育app's coastal areas.

The Bohai Sea and northern part of Yellow Sea started to freeze in December and ice had covered 8,437 square kilometers of the Bohai Sea and 2,528 sq km of the Yellow Sea by Thursday, according to the forecast released by the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center on Friday.

The frozen area is slightly smaller than it was during this time last year, but the forecast said as a cold front moves toward the northern part of 皇冠体育app, the sea ice may grow during the coming weeklong Lunar New Year holiday.

The forecast reminded authorities to be timely in breaking ice near ports, sea lines and offshore oil platforms in the Bohai Sea and northern parts of Yellow Sea in the coming few days.