China's Hainiu II deep-water drilling machine performs a trial drilling. Photo: Hunan University of Science and Technology/People's Daily Online

China has more than 150 national patents and 16 international invention patents, and the key core technologies of deep-sea resources and geological exploration are in the hands of the Chinese people, Wan Buyan, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), said during an interview ahead of the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wan, also the director of the marine lab at Hunan University of Science and Technology, shared the good news with the public. The Hainiu II deep-water drilling rig system, which was developed by Wan's team, has operated at a depth of over 2,000 meters in the South China Sea. It set a new world record for deep-water drilling after digging 231 meters into the seabed on April 7, 2021, said Wan.

Since 1999, China has been developing key technologies for ocean exploration. China's first self-created sampling drilling rig took four years to develop, and more underwater drilling rig systems were later developed to support deep sea research, Wan said.

It is a major strategic task for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation to build a strong maritime nation, Wan noted.

So far, China has drilled more than 2,000 holes by using self-developed technologies, completing numerous survey and exploration projects, Wan said. China no longer needs foreign drilling ships, and has initiated exploration of deep-sea geology with its own systems.

A strong nation requires self-sufficiency in science and technology. Key core technologies cannot be bought, but we can develop them by ourselves, said Wan. "Next, my team and I will conduct research in deeper areas of the ocean."

"What others can do, we can definitely do. And what others haven't done yet, we might be able to do it before them," Wan said.

Global Times