Sino-Pak deep-sea expedition helps understand and mitigate tsunamis and earthquakes

Chinese explorers have been renowned since ancient times and have greatly complimented the Chinese ancient dynasties. One of the famous sea explorers is mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral Zheng He. Zheng went on seven major expeditions to explore the world for the Chinese emperor and to establish Chinese trade in new areas over 600 years ago. Zheng He's fleet comprised of 317 ships whose sails impaired the view of the horizon. His fleet included several enormous, football field-sized vessels which were big enough to fit 65 of Columbus' ships end-to-end. Modern China of today under the leadership of President Xi Jinping is setting out to revive the glory of China and creating prosperity through interconnectedness and most importantly focusing on knowledge, research and innovations which is a highly sustainable model for achieving greatness. One such endeavor to contribute towards exploration and research is a joint venture between China and Pakistan to explore the Makran trench and jointly conduct a multi-disciplinary study of marine geology, physics, chemistry and biology. 

Chinese and Pakistani researchers prepare a sea-bottom seismograph at the North Indian Ocean on Sunday using Shi Yan 3, a scientific research vessel from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, launching the two countries' first joint scientific collaboration on the ocean. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Makran trench is located off the coast of Pakistan where Gawadar port is situated. Gawadar port is being developed by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is one of the trade corridors part of the larger Belt and Road initiative. The Makran trench is at the convergence point of the Arabian Plate, Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate and is prone to earthquakes. The trench is generally in an East-West direction; about 700 km long, the deepest point within the trench goes as far deep as 3000 meters. It is the world's most shallow trench and amongst the lowest sub-ducted trenches.

In the recently begun joint research plan to explore the Makran trench, the "Shiyan-3" (experiment 3) Chinese vessel will navigate over the Makran trench which is located in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. The joint expedition includes Pakistani scientists along with Chinese experts who embarked upon this endeavor from Karachi port. The research vessel will go over the multi-channel seismic zone within the Makran trench, collect sediment samples as well as water samples for researching the geological structure and natural resources in the vicinity. The geochemical characterization of the magmatic rocks present at the Makran trench has not been systematically performed before, which is what makes this research endeavor a landmark activity. Since the area of the Makran trench is the convergence point for three seismic plates, the geological study can help in the prevention and mitigation of disasters.

China gained approval by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to look for polymetallic sulphides -- rich in copper, iron, lead, zinc, gold and silver -- in the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge. Other such applications originating from China were also approved by the ISA, which gave China approval of 15-year contracts for exploration for polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the deep seabed. ISA is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Based on these contracts China developed Jiaolong, which is a manned deep-sea research submersible that can dive to a depth of over 7,000 m. It has the greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world, which can accommodate two Oceanauts. The Jiaolong reached a depth of 7,062 meters (23,169 feet) in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. 

China's scientists have been taking the lead in such scientific research and that is why on June 8 2013, China's first ever "blue book" on the Indian Ocean, titled, "Development Report in the Indian Ocean" was issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Despite the clear and transparent approvals from the UN backed ISA, and the pure research motives of the Chinese research vessels and scientists, some Western media outlets as well as media sources from India and Japan have been directing propaganda against the Chinese research activities and accomplishments, which is detrimental to the benefits this research is going to provide. This research will help create early warning systems for Pakistan and neighboring regions against earthquakes and tsunamis originating from the Makran trench and also locate mineral deposits. 

The ongoing research being conducted by the team of scientists of China and Pakistan is a great example of President Xi's vision of bolstering research cooperation with other countries to serve humanity to the fullest. As mentioned above one of the main focuses of this expedition is to conduct a geological study of the Makran trench to help mitigate future disasters in the form of earthquakes and tsunamis. The research originating from "Shiyan-3" will help provide a scientific basis for research relevant for Pakistan's maritime safety and disaster mitigation which will strongly aid in realizing the fundamentals of the Belt and Road initiative which is to create win-win scenarios.

(Dr. Shafei Moiz Hali studied at George Mason University, Virginia, USA and specialized in the field of International Commerce and Policy. He did his PhD from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China specializing in Chinese foreign policy focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative and energy issues. Currently Dr. Hali is working as an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Contemporary Studies, National Defence University (NDU) Islamabad, Pakistan.)