Chinese expedition team reaches Mt. Cho Oyu summit for scientific research

MOUNT CHO OYU BASE CAMP, Tibet, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese expedition team comprising 18 members reached the summit of Mount Cho Oyu, also known as Mt. Qowowuyag, on Sunday morning to carry out scientific research on the world's sixth-highest peak.

This is the first time Chinese scientists have scaled a peak exceeding 8,000 meters in altitude apart from Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest summit.

Located on the China-Nepal border, Mount Cho Oyu is the sixth-highest mountain in the world with an altitude of 8,201 meters.

The expedition underscores China's capability to effectively organize and execute comprehensive scientific research in extremely high-altitude areas, said Yao Tandong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The expedition team departed from the assault camp at 5,700 meters in altitude on Friday.

The 2023 Mount Cho Oyu expedition is part of the second comprehensive scientific expedition on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau initiated in 2017.

Since the end of September, a total of 120 scientists have been conducting research on water, ecology and human activities around the mountain.