Both Russia and China will benefit from bilateral cooperation on developing the Antarctic, Vyacheslav Martyanov of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Roshydromet told Sputnik.

Earlier this week, the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA) and Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Roshydromet signed a memorandum of bilateral cooperation.

According to Valery Lukin, head of the Russian Antarctic Expedition, the memorandum was initiated by the Chinese side during a series of international meetings on the development of cooperation in the Antarctic which are currently under way in Beijing.

China and Russia agreed to join efforts in order to carry out a number of very expensive research and logistics operations at the South Pole, which are very expensive.

Given that these operations are conducted far from the polar stations of the two countries, such cooperation can bring a synergy effect, experts said.

For his part, expert Vyacheslav Martyanov from the St.Petersburg-based Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of Roshydromet told Sputnik that cooperation of efforts to study unique natural objects in the Antarctic will benefit both sides.

Martyanov specifically pointed to the scale of China's research work in the Antarctica, especially in its eastern part, where Russia's Progress research station is located.