Key minerals have become the forefront of strategic play between the world's major powers, making the battle of extracting minerals from the seabed increasingly fierce.
LThe International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is still negotiating draft regulations on deep-sea mining, has already issued 31 licenses for deep-sea mining exploration areas. Among them, the three Chinese mining companies hold five, more than any other mining company in any other country, with a mining area of 23.5 square kilometers. China hopes to begin mining work as early as next year.
According to previous Russian media statistics, Russia is in second place with 3 contracts, followed by India, Japan and some European countries with 2 valid contracts each.
Since the United States has not yet ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is currently only an observer state of the ISA. They do not have the right to vote and cannot obtain seabed mining or mining contracts through the organization.
As China has become the first country in the world to have exclusive exploration areas for three major international seabed mineral resources, the United States cannot stand still.
by Nicola and Gabriele Iuvinale
Key minerals have become the forefront of the strategic game between the world's major powers, which has made the battle of extracting minerals from the seabed increasingly fierce. Chinese media “Guancha” and Hong Kong “South China Morning Post” pointed out that, “facing the obstruction of the United States and Western countries in this field, China should form an alliance with countries supporting the Seabed mining controls and exploits most of the world's undeveloped areas. Key resources in the deep ocean promote the building of a maritime power.”
According to Hong Kong media reports, a team from Shandong University's Northeast Asia Research Center published an article in the eighth issue of the "Pacific Journal", a social science journal edited by China's Ministry of Natural Resources. , which said the United States and other Western countries fear that China may have more say in the deep-sea field, which could give it a greater advantage in the global supply chain of key minerals.
The aforementioned research group states that “pTo win the battle for seabed minerals, as well as develop green mining technologies and increase the participation of developing countries, China should strengthen strategic consensus with development advocates and strengthen cooperation with Russia, Korea South and Japan. Promote scientific exchanges and technological innovation with development groups represented by India and other countries, build a transnational cooperation platform in the deep sea field, and maintain an international underwater order of peace, stability and shared interests."
In addition, China could also focus on signing intergovernmental strategic agreements on marine economic cooperation and marine development with island countries in Latin America, Africa and the Pacific, and integrate deep-sea mining cooperation into building economic partnerships blue to stimulate the interest of those countries in this sector.
The article suggests that while pragmatically participating in international cooperation, China should play a constructive role in the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a branch of the United Nations, comprehensively strengthen its influence internationally in the fields of sea and ocean depths, and become a leader in international seabed affairs with contributors.
The graph comes from the contents of the "Journal of the Pacific" document
The deep seafloor contains large quantities of polymetallic nodules, seafloor sulfide deposits, and cobalt nodules stripped from rocks. These nodules and sediments mainly contain materials such as nickel, rare earths and cobalt, which are key minerals indispensable in current semiconductor and battery technologies.
Data from the U.S. Geological Surveys show that there are 274 million tons of nickel in the "Clarion-Clipperton Fault Zone" in the Pacific Ocean, while known terrestrial nickel reserves amount to 95 million tons; there are also 44 million tons of cobalt in the seabed.
“The seabed is gradually becoming a new battlefield for global resource competition.” The South China Morning Post cited the document underlining that China has long been a major participant in regional international seabed activities and is committed to promoting the green and sustainable development of deep-sea mining and industry promotion international seabed.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is still negotiating draft regulations on deep-sea mining, has issued 31 licenses for deep-sea mining exploration areas, according to Hong Kong media reports. Among them, the three Chinese mining companies hold five, more than any other mining company in any other country, with a mining area of 23.5 square kilometers. China hopes to begin mining work as early as next year.
According to previous Russian media statistics, Russia is in second place with 3 contracts, followed by India, Japan and some European countries with 2 valid contracts each.
Since the United States has not yet ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is currently only an observer state of the ISA. They do not have the right to vote and cannot obtain seabed mining or mining contracts through the organization.
Given that China has become the first country in the world to have exclusive exploration areas for three major international seabed mineral resources, the United States cannot stand still.
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