DgcityChinese expeditions, tour operators and ships heading to Antarctica will operate under a comprehensive domestic statute for the first time after lawmakers adopted a law on Antarctic activities and environmental protection on Friday. The legislation takes effect on January 1, 2027.
The seven-chapter law covers activity permits, environmental protection, inspection, safeguards and supervision, legal liability and supplementary rules. Anyone organizing an expedition, running tourism or operating shipping in the region will need to submit activity plans, environmental impact assessments and other documents to Chinese authorities before departure. Operators must protect native animals and plants, manage and dispose of waste properly and prevent marine pollution, with penalties written into the text for violations.
China’s footprint in Antarctica has grown steadily since it joined the Antarctic Treaty system in the 1980s. It now runs five research stations and is developing a new presence on the continent’s interior and coast. The 42nd Antarctic expedition, completed in May after departing in November 2025, carried out extensive ecological surveys, including comprehensive work in the Cosmonaut and Amundsen seas, areas of growing scientific interest because of rapid ice-shelf change.
The law gives that activity a firmer legal frame, and notably a security one. It calls for stronger capacity for safe access to and from Antarctica and for protecting the safety of Chinese activities, assets and other interests there, as well as the lawful rights of Chinese citizens, companies and organizations. That language reflects how polar policy has moved from a largely scientific dossier to one touching logistics, shipping lanes, fisheries and strategic competition.
Beijing is not alone in legislating. Several treaty parties, including the United States, Britain, Australia and Chile, have domestic laws enforcing the treaty’s environmental protocol, and Chinese officials have presented the statute as a move to align national practice with international obligations rather than assert territorial claims. China, like other major players, does not recognize the territorial claims of other states and has reserved its own position.
Environmental groups will be watching the implementing rules, particularly how strictly tourism operators and fishing-linked vessels are vetted. Chinese tourists have become a growing share of Antarctic visitors, and the search-and-rescue and pollution risks of expanded shipping run in the opposite direction of the treaty’s pristine-wilderness ideals. Permit decisions in the 2027-28 season, the first under the new regime, will show how seriously Beijing intends to enforce what it has passed.
