From May 24 to 26, 2022, the China-ISA Joint Training and Research Centre (JTRC) successfully held its first training class online. Fifty-five trainees from 20 developing countries, including Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam, Panama, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Mauritania, Namibia, Cameroon, Bangladesh and the Cook Islands, took part, along with lecturing experts from the International Seabed Authority and more than ten Chinese marine institutions. The training covered survey and assessment of mineral resources in the international seabed area, characteristics of deep-sea ecosystems and environmental management, and storage and management of data from exploration activities in the international seabed area, among other fields.
At the opening ceremony, Wang Hong, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge delivered video addresses. Vice Minister Wang said that holding the first training class as an online course, at a time when the global COVID-19 situation remained complex and severe, demonstrated the will and determination of the Chinese government and the International Seabed Authority to jointly promote deep-sea capacity building in developing countries and exchanges in marine science and technology. Secretary-General Lodge said that ISA member states should have the opportunity to learn from one another and gain high-quality, transformative knowledge. He attached particular importance to this training class, which was designed around the capacity development needs identified by ISA member states and would help ensure that developing countries participate fully in activities in the international seabed area. Wu Changbin, Director-General of the China Ocean Affairs Administration, chaired the opening ceremony, which was also attended by Pan Xinchun, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Oceanic Development Foundation, National Deep Sea Center Director Gu Wu, ISA guests, lecturers and trainees from the participating countries.
The three-day class comprised nine thematic lectures. The eight lecturers came from the ISA Legal and Technical Commission, the ISA Secretariat, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the COMRA office, the Second Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the National Marine Data and Information Service, while ten young experts from the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Changsha Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the Ocean University of China, the 702 Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and the China University of Mining and Technology served as breakout session moderators. In addition to the lectures, trainees held active group discussions and exchanges around the training content.
Before the close of the training, trainees expressed their thanks to China and the International Seabed Authority for the training and exchange opportunity. They considered that the class genuinely addressed the capacity-building needs of developing countries, that the courses on deep-sea resource survey and mining, environment and ecology, and data management were closely tied to current international issues, and that the rich and varied content would broaden their horizons, enhance their ability to participate in international seabed affairs, and support their research and management work in the deep-sea field.
On October 18, 2019, the Ministry of Natural Resources (State Oceanic Administration) and the International Seabed Authority signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing on establishing a joint training and research centre, to be located at the National Deep Sea Center in Qingdao, China. On November 9, 2020, the China-ISA Joint Training and Research Centre formally entered operation.
