BEIJING - China's manned deep-diving submersible, the Jiaolong, will try a 7,000-meter dive in the Pacific Ocean between June and July this year, Liu Cigui, director of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said Sunday.

Liu told Xinhua before the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, that all preparatory work for the submersible's 7,000-meter dive is now going on smoothly.

The Chinese manned submersible succeeded in diving 5,188 meters below the sea in the Pacific Ocean between July and August last year, enabling China to conduct scientific surveys in 70 percent of the world's seabed areas.

China's maritime authority shoulders heavy tasks carrying out scientific research on oceans this year, said Liu, who is also a deputy to the NPC.

He said China will continue to proceed with oceanic surveys and environmental investigations and push forward legislation on oceans this year.