China needs a bigger say in deep-sea mining rules: resources official
The United States is already trying to stake its commercial claims in waters beyond its territory
In an article published on Friday in Study Times – a newspaper run by the Communist Party’s Central Party School – Wu Changbin, director of the ministry’s China Deep Ocean Affairs Administration, said China could increase its voice and competitiveness in the field by playing a more active role in global ocean governance and developing its own advanced equipment.
“During this critical window when international rules for deep-sea activities are still taking shape, China – which has the widest range of international seabed resource types and the largest number of mining areas – should take a more proactive role in consultations on the international maritime order,” Wu said.
He said the country should be deeply involved in talks on exploitation rules, conduct in-depth research on core issues, and “play a key guiding role” in the early formation of a regulatory framework.
The world’s seabeds are believed to hold a range of critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel and copper, which are vital to technologies from electric vehicles to steel production.