China is planning the construction of a new research station in the south pole, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said on November 1.

Taishan Station, the fourth to be built by China in Antarctica, will be set up between the country's existing Zhongshan and Kunlun stations to provide logistical support, according to Qu Tanzhou, Director of the Arctic and Antarctic Administration at the SOA.

A scientific expedition team would leave Shanghai on November 7 to carry out planning, including for the setting up of Taishan, a summer station that can be used from December to March. It will be used to study geology, glaciers, geomagnetism and the atmosphere in Antarctica.