The deep blue sea still remains an abyss of mystery after years of exploration by scientists worldwide. But adventurers never pause before the great unknowns, and the Chinese are no exception.

China is making progress in becoming a maritime global power, pushing forward technology and research on all fronts.

Deep-sea observation

China is setting up a submarine observation network, the first national science and technology infrastructure project in the maritime field.

The network will be completed within five years at a cost of more than 2.1 billion yuan (about 310 million U.S. dollars).

The cable-based network will study the bed of the East China Sea and the South China Sea to collect data to be analyzed in Shanghai.

The network will emphasize on observation of the environment and marine disasters.

Deep-sea diving

The Chinese have long dreamed of going up to the sky and down into the ocean on the backs of dragons.

On Friday China’s manned submersible Jiaolong will have its 150th dive, in the Yap Trench.

Named after a mythical water dragon, Jiaolong completed its first dive in 2009 and reached a maximum depth of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012.

“Hailong 2” and “Qianlong 1,” both unmanned submersibles, were deployed at the National Deep Sea Center in Qingdao in February.

The three types of subs are all domestically-made and each has its own specialty.

“Hailong 2”, which needs a wire to link to the support ship, can work at a maximum depth of 3,500 meters. Wireless “Qianlong 1” can operate at a depth of 6,000 meters.

Deep-sea drilling

A four-month drilling expedition in the South China Sea as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is drawing to an end.

Among the 66 scientists from 13 countries on the drilling ship JOIDES Resolution, 26 are from Chinese universities and research institutions.

Since joining the IODP in 1998, China has played a major role in two previous expeditions to the South China Sea in 1999 and 2014. Scientists collected samples for the study of climate change and basin formation.

China will organize an international expedition and set up a new research center for deep-sea sediment core research between 2018 and 2020, then build a new-generation ocean drilling vessel.

Medical staff gives first aid to Wu, who fell down at Xiamen International Half-Marathon, Dec 10, 2016.[Photo/Sina Weibo]

The first case related to the death of an unregistered runner in China has been heard by a local court in Xiamen, Fujian province, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The runner, surnamed Wu, died after crossing the finish line in the Xiamen International Half-Marathon in December.

An investigation found that Wu was not registered to race, but had procured a number bib from a woman surnamed Li. In January, Wu’s wife, surnamed Liang, fed a lawsuit against both the half-marathon organizers and Li, seeking 1.23 million yuan ($180,000) in compensation.

The Xiamen’s Haicang District People’s Court accepted the case.

The increasing popularity of running in China has produced a second-hand trade in bibs allowing those that miss out on the lottery to buy a place in a race.

The court must decide whether the organizer should be blamed for a lack of supervision during the race, whether Li’s behavior should be treated as goodwill or not, and whether there was a causal link between her behavior and Wu’s death.

According to Liang, the organizer should take responsibility for her husband’s death as the running number Wu began with an “F” for “female”, a clear indication that it was not his bib. She also argued Li bears some responsibility because marathon running requires real name registration and privately trading number bibs is not allowed.

The organizer insists they are not liable for compensation as Wu’s death was unpredictable.

The organizer reportedly paid Wu’s family 100,000 yuan earlier for humanitarian purposes.

Three judges and four jurors presided over the hearing and are yet to hand down their judgement.

The judgment will set a precedent for other sports lawsuits.

China’s State Council published a guideline Thursday to improve the management of the government websites.

To establish a clean, innovative and service-oriented government ruled by law, websites should be open, clear, informative and convenient for the public, said the document issued by the general office of the State Council.

According to the guideline, ministries of the State Council and government offices above county level should each have one official website.

The guideline also stressed Internet security, urging government offices to set up stable, reliable and safe websites by having online security warning systems and emergency response systems.

China on Thursday rejected a review of key developments in Hong Kong by the U.S. State Department.

“We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to that document and the irresponsible remarks by the United States,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Thursday at a daily press briefing.

Hua said that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Hong Kong affairs fall within China’s domestic affairs and no country has any right to intervene, she said.

She urged the United States to be prudent in its words and actions on affairs concerning Hong Kong.

It is undeniable that the principle of “one country, two systems” and the Basic Law have been comprehensively implemented, and Hong Kong residents have enjoyed their rights and freedoms in accordance with the law since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, according to Hua.

“The Chinese government’s resolve to implement ‘one country, two systems’ and ‘Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong’ with a high degree of autonomy is unwavering, and will not be changed,” she said.

Customs authorities in Xiamen, a city on China’s east coast, announced on Thursday that they had seized 700 bottles of bear bile.

A male passenger took a flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Xiamen, the customs authorities said in a statement. Customs inspectors used X-ray machines on his luggage and suspected it contained a large number of small bottles.

Inspectors found 100 bottles of bear bile from the man’s luggage. Based on his report, another 600 of vials were found from the luggage of his companion. Each bottle contained one milliliter of the bile.

According to Chinese law, passengers must obtain certified documents if they wish to carry bear parts through customs. Smuggling is subject to legal punishment of fines or even imprisonment.