Famous diplomat and former Chinese Ambassador to France

Wu Jianmin

Not long ago, I was invited as the member of Antarctic forum advance group to Antarctica. I worked for diplomacy all my lifetime. I have been to 50 or 60 countries except Antarctica. From 1972 to 1977, when I first knew something about Antarctica, I worked in Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and attended several conferences of UN Seabed Committee. Argentina and Chile are close to Antarctica and their representatives introduced the situation of Antarctica to me. Antarctica is different from Arctic. There is only ice and snow but no land on Arctic while the land area on Antarctica is very large about 13.9 million square kilometers and it is rich in biological and mineral resources. Apparently, Antarctica is vital to human beings.

This time I went to Antarctica by cruise named “Explorer”. We mainly went to Antarctic Peninsula. On the cruise, scientists introduced the basic situation of Antarctica to us which widen our horizons. We saw different whales swimming beside our cruise freely several times. We also landed on the Antarctic Continent by rubber dinghy for nine times accompanied by scientists. We saw penguins, seals, dolphins and sea birds living there happily.

We were very careful while landing because the accompanying person repeatedly told us that there’s no toilet on the land, we could only take a look and take photos but couldn’t leave anything we brought to as well as leaving rubbish. We couldn’t take anything back from Antarctica, even a stone. What we could bring back was our wonderful memory. We mustn’t disturb animals there. Although penguins and seals aren’t afraid of people, we still had to keep five meters’ distance from them at least while observing.

The air in Antarctica is excellent without any pollution. The landscape there is unique and attractive. When it is sunny, blue sky, white clouds, crystal blue sea and mountains covered with snow constitute a gorgeous image.

Climate in the southern hemisphere is opposite to the northern hemisphere. When we are in winter here, it is summer in the southern hemisphere. It is freezing cold in Antarctica in winter with the temperature of minus 50 or 60 degrees Celsius. But in summer the temperature can rise to above freezing. The time I went to Antarctica was summer in Antarctica. Mountains in Antarctic Peninsula rise and fall. Some places were covered with snow, while other places the snow melted and rocks exposed. In the noon, sometimes we can see the avalanche. When snow slides, it was like thundering and the earth trembled, the mountains swayed. We saw various icebergs in different shapes and poses floating on the sea at somewhere in Le Maire Strait called “iceberg grave”. You cannot help sighing that the splendid work of nature is so exquisite.

The deepest impression for me was that the natural environment in Antarctica was protected well. But scientists and scholars on the cruise told us that in the first half of the 20^th century the competition among big countries was fierce in Antarctica. Nine countries have proposed territorial claims on Antarctica. People excessively hunted and killed whales and penguins. We saw the remains of the whale processing plant in the “sea in sea” harbor in Antarctic Peninsula. At that time, the way to hunt whales was to beat them to death and then fill air into their body to let them float on the sea. Then they placed the flag of the hunting company on the back of the whales to indicate its ownership. In those days there were about 4000 corpses of whales floating on the sea, making the sea red with blood. The whale processing plant on the island is smelly.

Obviously, the situation we see today is totally different from the situation in the first half of last century. Antarctica has been well protected. The current situation should be attributed to the Antarctic Treaty. In 1958, 12 national representatives held more than 60 meetings under the initiation of US president Eisenhower. Finally in December 1^st 1959, Antarctic Treaty was reached and was put into effect in June 23^rd 1961. The practice of Antarctic Treaty and subsequent situation gave the world important inspirations.

First of all, interests of all mankind are above all. When drafting the Antarctic Treaty, the world was still in Cold War and two major camps, America and Soviet Union, were in fierce confrontation and contention. Under this circumstance, the purpose and principle of the treaty stipulated that for the sake of all mankind’s interests, Antarctica should only be used for peace and not become the place and aim of the international disputes. The practice of Antarctic Treaty proved that interests of all mankind could combine countries with different demands together and go wider and wider. After taking effect, Antarctic Treaty was valid for 30 years at first. When it expired in 1991, it was extended for another 50 years. Some experts thought that the valid date of Antarctic Treaty would be lengthened forever.

Comparing to the Cold War period, the present world has changed a lot. The common interests of all mankind have been greatly increased. What can be done in Cold War can be done more easily today.

Secondly, it is powerful to pursue peace and advocate for international cooperation. Peace is the eternal pursuit of human. Antarctic Treaty prohibited any military activities in the treaty area and stipulated that Antarctica is only for peace. It has been half of a century since the signing of Antarctic Treaty. No matter how the international situation changes, Antarctica is always a peaceful land. How wonderful it is!

Human progress needs international cooperation. Antarctic Treaty encourages scientists worldwide to cooperate with each other during the exploration. Antarctica is a pure continent that have never been developed and polluted on the earth. It contains countless scientific mysteries and information. The cooperation among scientists worldwide is beneficial to solve various scientific mysteries and to all mankind. The treaty stipulated that all negotiating countries have the right to inspect the Antarctic expedition station of other countries. This rule is obviously beneficial to the international cooperation.

Thirdly, the disputes of territorial sovereignty cannot be solved within a short time so it is a good idea to freeze it. Before signing the Antarctic Treaty, many countries have proposed territorial claims on Antarctic continent. The competition is fierce. Some even came to the point that they have to solve the problem by fighting with each other. History told us that the dispute of territorial sovereignty is often the cause of war. Antarctic Treaty froze the territorial claims of countries and stipulated that they couldn’t make new demands. The idea of freezing is the reflection of human’s wisdom and guarantees the peace of Antarctica, which is the same as the thoughts put forward by Deng Xiaoping that “lay aside disputes and develop together”.

Fourthly, it is vital to protect the environment. I came to Antarctica from Beijing, where the haze was heavy. The contrast between Antarctica and Beijing is too strong. When the haze is heavy in Beijing, it’s even hard to break. But when you arrive at Antarctica you will suddenly feel relaxed. How wonderful it is to have a breath of fresh air without pollution! Retrospect over 200 years since industrial revolution, the progress on human was unprecedented. However, we must admit that the industrialization also caused serious pollution. Human has requested too much from nature and destroyed too much on the environment. As a result, we have paid the price of health and life and will continue to pay for it. With the development, the shortage of water resource has become a more and more serious challenge facing human. However 70% of world’s fresh water resources are in Antarctica. In Antarctica, the water is clean without any pollution. How important it is for our offsprings! Central government required us to transform the economic development and pursue a resource-saving and environmentally-friendly development. It not only reflects public’s desire, but also is essential for human to survive.

In a word, inspiration from Antarctica is an urgent need in the 21^st century. The path guided by Antarctic Treaty is the path that human should follow in the 21^st century. It is also the path repeatedly emphasized by the central government. We need to expand the combination of interests of all parties and seek for mutual benefit and win-win results. Follow this path we will soon enter into a world with lasting peace and common prosperity.