China's polar expedition ships may use nuclear propulsion in the future, experts said, after one of the country's leading shipbuilders announced it has begun developing key technologies for nuclear-powered vessels.

"Compared with ships that use conventional propulsion, nuclear-powered ships can travel farther and are more reliable, factors that make the ships a reasonable choice for polar expeditionary missions," Du Wenlong, a senior researcher at the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Military Science, told China Daily on Wednesday.

His remarks came a day after China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, one of the two dominant shipbuilders in China, said in an online news release that one of its research institutions has received State approval and funding to formally begin research on core technologies and safety for nuclear-powered ships.