BEIJING - China will participate in Arctic affairs in accordance with the basic principles of respect, cooperation, win-win result and sustainability, according to a white paper issued Friday by the State Council Information Office.Respect is the key basis for China's participation in Arctic affairs.Respect should be reciprocal. It means all States should abide by international treaties such as the UN Charter and the UNCLOS, as well as general international law, it said.They should respect the sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction enjoyed by the Arctic States in this region, respect the tradition and culture of the indigenous peoples, as well as respect the rights and freedom of non-Arctic States to carry out activities in this region in accordance with the law, and respect the overall interests of the international community in the Arctic, it noted.The paper said that cooperation is an effective means for China's participation in Arctic affairs. It means establishing a relationship of multi-level, omni-dimensional and wide-ranging cooperation in this area. All stakeholders are encouraged to take part in cooperation on climate change, scientific research, environmental protection, shipping route development, resource utilization and cultural activities.Win-win result is the value pursuit of China's participation in Arctic affairs. It means all stakeholders in this area should pursue mutual benefit and common progress in all fields of activities, it said.Sustainability is the fundamental goal of China's participation in Arctic affairs. This means promoting the sustainable development of the Arctic by ensuring the sustainability of environmental protection, resource utilization and human activities in the area, according to the white paper.It also means realizing harmonious coexistence between man and nature, better coordination between ecological protection, economic growth and social progress, better balance between utilization, management and protection, and intergenerational equity, it added. make your own silicone bracelet kitbuy rubber wristbandsbusiness silicone wristbandscheap rubber bracelets personalized no minimumbest place to buy silicone wristbands
A sample of cobalt-rich crusts collected from the seabed at a depth of about 5,300 meters off Minamitorishima Island is shown to the press at the Japanese science and technology ministry in Tokyo, Feb 9, 2016. [Photo/IC] TOKYO - Japanese researchers have mapped vast reserves of rare earth elements in deep-sea mud, enough to feed global demand on a semi-infinite basis, according to a fresh study. The deposit, found within Japan's exclusive economic waters, contains more than 16 million tons of the elements needed to build high-tech products from mobile phones to electric vehicles, according to the study, released on Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports. The team, comprised of several universities, businesses and government institutions, surveyed the western Pacific Ocean near Minamitorishima Island, Japan. In a sample area of the mineral-rich region, the team's survey estimated 1.2 million tons of rare earth oxide deposited there, the study said, conducted jointly by Yutaro Takaya, researcher with Waseda University and Yasuhiro Kato of the University of Tokyo, among others. The finding extrapolates that a 2,500-square-kilometer region off the southern Japanese island should contain 16 million tons of the valuable elements, and has the potential to supply these metals on a semi-infinite basis to the world, the study said. The area reserves offer great potential as ore deposits for some of the most critically important elements in modern society, it said. The report said there were hundreds of years of reserves of most of the rare earths in the area surveyed. The team has also developed an efficient method to separate valuable elements from others in the mud. The world relies heavily on China for rare earths, with Beijing producing most of the elements currently available on the market. The Japanese study stressed the importance of the efforts to develop efficient and economic methods to collect the deep-sea mud. The enormous resource amount and the effectiveness of the mineral processing are strong indicators that this new (rare-earth rich mud) resource could be exploited in the near future, the study said. Agence France-presse
