On the morning of October 16, 2023, the second training class of the China-ISA Joint Training and Research Centre (JTRC) formally opened in Qingdao. Wang Hong, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration, ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge, and officials of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China Oceanic Development Foundation, the China Ocean Affairs Administration and the Qingdao municipality attended and delivered remarks. ISA officials, Chinese and international lecturers, and 25 trainees from 21 developing countries, including Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia, Argentina and Fiji, took part in the opening ceremony.
Vice Minister Wang Hong said that China actively participates in and supports the initiatives and projects launched by the International Seabed Authority and has played a constructive role in contract area survey and exploration, regional environmental plans and the drafting of exploitation regulations. China also supports developing countries in strengthening their capacity to participate in international seabed affairs and assists them in training scientific research and management personnel for the international seabed field. Since its establishment, the joint centre has worked closely with the ISA to run regular training, research and other activities. The two sides will continue to strengthen coordination and improve the strategic direction and cooperation mechanisms of their joint research, contributing further to scientific research and technological development in the international seabed area and to sustainable deep-sea development. He added that trainees would gain marine knowledge and technical skills during the training as well as a deeper understanding of China and its traditional culture.
Secretary-General Michael Lodge noted that the joint centre is the first joint training and research centre established by the ISA with one of its member states. Since its founding, the centre has organized, designed and implemented its activities in line with the needs and strategic research priorities identified by ISA members, promoting marine scientific research and capacity building in developing countries. The selection of trainees for this class took account of regional and gender balance, and the class would help trainees gain a deeper understanding of the potential and mysteries of the deep sea and of the ISA’s mandate and working methods under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The China-ISA Joint Training and Research Centre was jointly established in October 2019 by the Ministry of Natural Resources (State Oceanic Administration) and the International Seabed Authority and is hosted at the National Deep Sea Center. This class is the centre’s first in-person training held in China. It runs for 12 days under the theme of marine science and technology, with more than 20 lecturers from the ISA and China. The training covers assessment and development of mineral resources in the international seabed area, protection of typical deep-sea habitats and ecosystems, deep-sea exploration and data acquisition and application, international rules for deep-sea governance, and marine culture and capacity building. Trainees will also make site visits to marine institutions and universities and take part in hands-on operation of deep-sea technical equipment, at-sea research activities and other practical exercises.
