Sample collection and environmental studies planned in the Pacific.
While Norway has temporarily shelved plans for undersea mining (as we reported), China is advancing the controversial initiative. According to the Malaysian newspaper The Star, Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corporation plans to begin testing deep-sea mining operations in the Pacific Ocean next August. The state-owned company holds exclusive exploration rights in two areas near Japan’s Minami-Torishima coral island. These sites are believed to contain significant deposits of rare earth elements, as highlighted in a 2018 study.
As part of the exploration, research will also focus on studying the environmental impact of extracting raw materials from the deep sea. Another state-owned enterprise, China Minmetals Corporation, reportedly plans a similar project in international waters near Hawaii. However, commercial resource extraction in international waters is currently prohibited due to the lack of binding regulations from the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
If mining were to be permitted under such regulations in the future, Chinese companies would likely have a substantial advantage over other nations in the region due to their preparatory efforts. This situation is not without irony, as deep-sea mining is often seen as a means of reducing dependency on China, the global heavyweight in raw material production.
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