The Development Direction of Global Deep-Sea Resources Policy and China's Path:From the Perspective of the BBNJ Agreement
The high seas and international seabed areas hold abundant marine resources.In the era of global ocean governance and shared marine resource management,international organizations and maritime powers have made strategic deployments and policy arrangements for the exploration and exploitation of deep-sea resources through in-ternational conventions and domestic legislation.Given the significant shifts and challenges in global oceanic condi-tions,conducting policy research on the exploration and exploitation of deep-sea resources can facilitate collaborative efforts among all nations to safeguard the shared marine inheritance and ecological environment.Such endeavors can provide a unified direction towards the sustainable development of the world's oceans and seas.From a legislative perspective,the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has made clear provisions on the ex-ploration and exploitation of resources in the international seabed area.Countries such as the United States,the U-nited Kingdom,France,and Japan enacted legislation on deep-sea mineral resources in the early 1980s.Subse-quently,developing countries began enacting their own legislation for the exploration and exploitation of deep-sea resources.As a core arrangement in global ocean governance,the Agreement Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond Nation-al Jurisdiction(referred to as BBNJ Agreement)has gained widespread international recognition.It was opened for signature on September 20,2023,providing a significant cooperative framework for global ocean governance and its ratification and implementation will likely indirectly affect the development and management of deep-sea resources.However,there are certain challenges in the current global deep-sea governance process.Many countries heavily re-ly on corresponding technological support policies when formulating deep-sea resources policies,viewing the en-hancement of their own ability to access deep-sea resources as the starting point for their global ocean strategies.Furthermore,there is a high emphasis on the requirements for ecological environment protection in deep-sea re-sources development.The BBNJ Agreement specifically regulates the protection of biodiversity beyond national juris-diction and imposes normative requirements for marine sustainable development.The development of deep-sea min-eral resources is a crucial step towards addressing China's long-term reliance on strategic mineral resources.Since 2005,China has been participating in discussions and negotiations under the United Nations framework for the BBNJ Agreement and actively engaged in the formulation of international rules for deep-sea mineral resources devel-opment,among other deep-sea regulations.In comparison to other maritime developed countries,China currently faces deficiencies in the development of core technologies for deep-sea survey and development.There are significant shortcomings in areas such as deep-sea equipment manufacturing capabilities,environmental monitoring and assessment methods,sea trial experience,certification of innovative products,and their applications.By track-ing the technological developments,legislative advancements,and practical progress in deep-sea resources explora-tion and exploitation of international organizations and maritime nations,valuable insights can be gained for a com-prehensive scientific analysis of China's deep-sea resources policy.For China,it is essential to clarify the policy direction for deep-sea resources under the BBNJ Agreement,conduct evaluations of existing policies,focus on deep-sea resources exploration,exploitation,and environmental protection,optimize deep-sea legislation,establish a policy framework in areas such as deep-sea industry development,and actively participate in international coopera-tion on deep-sea resources exploration and exploitation.By doing so,China can contribute to the sustainable devel-opment of the ocean for all humanity.
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