The Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has completed a five-day diplomatic mission to China, reinforcing strategic cooperation on seabed mineral governance, scientific research, and finalizing global mining regulations for the deep ocean.
The visit—punctuated by new agreements and public commitments—highlights China’s full-throated support for the ISA’s multilateral regime, as the global divide deepens between this UN-backed framework and emerging unilateral systems like those proposed by the United States.
High-Level Talks Reinforce ISA-China Alignment
ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge held meetings in Beijing with H.E. Mr. Sun Shuxian, Vice-Minister of Natural Resources, and H.E. Mr. Miao Deyu, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs. Discussions centered on:
- Finalizing the ISA’s draft regulations for deep-sea mineral exploitation
- Integrating biodiversity protections under the BBNJ treaty
- Expanding China’s role in training and research via the ISA-China Joint Training and Research Centre (JTRC)
- Supporting ISA’s 2023–2028 data strategy and regional environmental planning
Expanding Deep-Sea Science Diplomacy
China became the 12th country to endorse the ISA’s “Call for Action” to accelerate deep-sea science, innovation, and stewardship in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The full list of endorsing nations includes:
Argentina, Costa Rica, Fiji, France, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and China.
This declaration promotes international cooperation on marine research, data sharing, and technology development in support of ISA’s Global Deep-Sea Research Agenda.
Research Expansion and Industry Coordination
ISA also signed a cooperation agreement with the Second Institute of Oceanography (SIO) to support data integration, environmental management, and scientific collaboration. Secretary-General Lodge held joint reviews with China’s ISA-licensed contractors—COMRA, China Minmetals, and Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech—focusing on environmental impact reporting, training delivery, and technology development.
At the Seventh Qingdao Symposium on legal frameworks governing the seabed, Lodge emphasized the urgency of completing the ISA’s exploitation code to provide “legal certainty and environmental protection.”
Why It Matters:
The ISA-China alignment takes place against a backdrop of rising competition between multilateral and national approaches to deep-sea governance.
The United States is developing two separate systems for seabed mineral extraction:
- Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Program
Managed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), this program governs mineral leasing, permitting, and environmental oversight within the U.S. EEZ—extending 200 nautical miles from its coastlines. These areas include the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Atlantic outer shelves, and waters near Alaska and Hawaii. New reforms aim to fast-track permits, expand prospecting rights, and support energy and defense supply chains. - Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) Program
In international waters, the U.S. regulates deep-sea mining through the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), administered by NOAA. This program licenses U.S. companies for mineral exploration in the CCZ, a vast, nodule-rich plain in the central Pacific. Unlike the EEZ, this region lies outside national jurisdiction and is also regulated by the ISA under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—a treaty the U.S. has signed but not ratified.
The key difference: China is doubling down on ISA’s multilateral governance of the CCZ, while the U.S. is building parallel domestic frameworks that challenge UNCLOS authority and prioritize national control.
By aligning tightly with the ISA, China is not only securing legal legitimacy for its contractors but also gaining a leadership role in writing the rules for one of the most valuable frontiers in resource development.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is betting on regulatory independence—strengthening its hand in both nearshore and international mining—but at the risk of ceding global rulemaking influence to China and ISA-aligned states.
Learn more here: https://www.isa.org.jm/news/isa-secretary-general-concludes-high-level-visit-to-china/
