Third Antarctica base to be set up

China will dispatch its 25th scientific research team to the Antarctica to set up a third base on the southernmost continent, the country's oceanic authority said yesterday.

The 204-member team will set out from Shanghai on Monday and visit the Republic of Korea and Australia en route to Antarctica, Li Haiqing, spokesman for the State Oceanic Administration, revealed.

Called Kunlun, the country's first inland station will be located 7.3 km southwest of Dome Argus (Dome A), the highest icecap on the South Pole at 4,083 m above sea level.