(XINHUA)

(XINHUA)

A Chinese-made manned submersible designed to dive to 7,000 meters successfully reached a depth of 3,759 meters during a manned test, said the Ministry of Science and Technology and the State Oceanic Administration on August 26.

The submersible, dubbed Jiaolong, with three crew on board, completed 17 dives in the South China Sea from May 31 to July 18.

China is the fifth country to develop the technology for a manned dive to more than 3,500 meters below sea level, after the United States, France, Russia and Japan.

Above: Jiaolong crew use a robotic arm to plant China's national flag on the seafloor during a dive in the South China Sea in July

Left: Jiaolong is lifted from the water after a dive in July