As the technological and economic risks associated with the commercial exploitation of international seabed mineral resources become increasingly clear, the international community is once again focusing on the development of seabed mineral resources, and a new round of competition for international seabed mining areas is intensifying. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed a development strategy aimed at enhancing our capacity to exploit marine resources, fostering the marine economy, and building a strong maritime nation.

　　At this year’s Two Sessions, Yang Weigang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Vice Chairman of the Hunan Provincial CPPCC, and Deputy Director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Natural Resources, pointed out that compared with foreign technologies for the exploration and development of seabed mineral resources, China’s seabed resource exploration technology is basically aligned with international standards. However, its beneficiation and metallurgical technologies are still at the small-scale experimental stage and remain comparable to international levels. On the other hand, there is still a significant gap in mining technology compared to advanced foreign enterprises, and research on key technologies for marine mineral extraction remains insufficient. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen China’s capacity for the design and R&D of international seabed mineral resource development.

　　So, compared with foreign technologies for the exploration and development of seabed mineral resources, in which areas does China’s technological strength match the international level, and in which areas does it still need to make up for gaps?

　　China's seabed mineral resource mining areas

　　In recent years, as China’s marine scientific and technological capabilities have continued to strengthen, the marine economy has come to play an increasingly prominent role in the country’s national economy. The State Oceanic Administration released the... 2015 The "China Marine Economy Statistical Bulletin" shows that... 2015 Year, National Marine Gross Product 64669 100 million yuan, an increase over the previous year. 7.0% , the ocean's gross production value accounts for a percentage of the gross domestic product. 9.6% Among these, the value-added of the marine secondary industry—including sectors such as offshore oil and gas and coastal sand mining—accounts for a share of the total marine GDP of: 5.1% China’s offshore oil and gas production continues to grow, and the offshore mining and offshore chemical industries are thriving.

　　Marine mineral resources, classified as the second sector of the marine economy, primarily refer to seabed oil, natural gas, and sand-mining resources found along coastlines and in shallow seas. According to available data, in addition to virtually all the resources already found on land, the oceans also harbor certain resources that are absent from terrestrial environments. Currently, the mineral categories that human society has discovered include: oil and natural gas; solid minerals such as coal and iron; coastal mineral sands; polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich manganese nodules; hydrothermal deposits; and combustible ice.

　　However, at present, due to insufficient exploration of the polar seas and vast deep-sea regions by humans, it remains difficult to determine exactly how much seabed mineral resources still lie undiscovered in the oceans.

　　As for international seabed mining areas, 1994 The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which entered into force in [year] (hereinafter referred to as the “Convention”), designates the international seabed area (hereinafter referred to as... “ Region ” ) and its resources are designated as the common heritage of mankind, to “ Region ” All rights to the resources within the Area are exercised by the International Seabed Authority on behalf of all humankind. 1996 Year 5 Moon 15 On that day, the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress reviewed and adopted a decision approving the Convention, making China a contracting party. Since then... 2001 So far this year, the United Nations International Seabed Authority has approved or reviewed a total of: 27 An international seabed mining area, of which China holds a share. 4 The country has become the world’s largest holder of international seabed mineral resources.

　　2014 Year 5 Month, “ Deep-sea mining engineering ” Selected by the Central Financial and Economic Leading Group and the National Development and Reform Commission. “ Major science and technology projects that are crucial to China's future development ” One of the nine major projects, its importance goes without saying.

　　The legal framework for the exploration and development of resources in deep-sea seabed areas remains to be established.

　　The exploration and development of resources in international seabed mining areas must be underpinned by necessary legal safeguards.

　　China is one of the major countries actively engaged in activities in the deep-sea seabed areas. It has a comprehensive legal framework governing the exploration and development of seabed resources, which facilitates the rational management of deep-sea seabed resource exploration and development activities, promoting their evolution toward scientific, rational, safe, and orderly practices. At the same time, this framework also helps to integrate international resources, avoid redundant efforts, and better advance our scientific research capabilities as well as our exploration and development capacities, thereby fostering the healthy development of China’s deep-sea endeavors.

　　2013 Year 9 The Law on Exploration and Development of Resources in Deep-Sea Seabed Areas has been included in the Legislative Plan of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress, with the Environmental and Resource Protection Committee taking the lead in drafting and submitting it for deliberation.

　　2015 Year 11 In June, the draft “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Exploration and Development of Resources in Deep-Sea Seabed Areas” was initially formulated and passed its first review by the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress. It is reported that this law will be promulgated within the year.

　　The draft consists of seven chapters and 32 articles. Its main contents include: legislative objectives and basic principles; scope of application of the law and management system; exploration and development; environmental protection; scientific and technological research and capacity-building in deep-sea areas; institutional development and supervision and inspection. In Chapter 2... “ Exploration and development ” The draft stipulates that natural persons, legal entities, or other organizations of the People’s Republic of China must submit an application to the marine authority under the State Council and provide the listed relevant materials before applying to the International Seabed Authority for activities involving the exploration and development of resources in the deep seabed areas.

　　Given the gaps in our country’s capabilities for deep-sea scientific and technological research, as well as for the exploration and development of deep-sea resources, the draft specifically dedicates Chapter Four to this topic. “ Scientific and Technological Research and Resource Survey ” Specific provisions are made for capacity-building in deep-sea science and technology research as well as resource exploration and development. The content clearly outlines the need to strengthen the construction of public platforms for deep-sea science and technology research, as well as the collection and sharing of relevant data. At the same time, it also explicitly stipulates support for and promotion of popular science activities on deep-sea topics conducted by relevant organizations and individuals.

　　Relevant experts said that this will enable... “ Regulate resource exploration and development activities in deep-sea seabed areas, protect the marine environment, enhance scientific and technological research capabilities and resource surveying capacity in the deep sea, ensure the safety of persons and property, and promote the sustainable utilization of resources in deep-sea seabed areas. ” Regulated and protected under the law.

　　Jia Yu, deputy director of the Institute for Ocean Development Strategy at the State Oceanic Administration, stated that internationally, specialized regulations on deep-sea resource development are still under formulation, and large-scale commercial exploitation of deep-sea resources has yet to begin. The enactment and implementation of the Deep-Sea Seabed Resource Exploration and Development Law will lay a solid foundation for the development of China’s deep-sea legal system.

　　Deep-sea development capabilities still need to be improved.

　　Compared with developed countries, China still has a significant gap in its level of scientific and technological research on the deep sea as well as in its capacity for exploring and developing deep-sea resources.

　　Yang Weigang stated that compared with foreign technologies for the exploration and development of seabed mineral resources, China’s marine mining technology as a whole has a relatively weak foundation and insufficient supporting capabilities. For instance, many basic components, materials, and equipment still rely on imports. To date, no full-system integrated commissioning tests have been conducted, and the feasibility of the entire mining process remains unverified. In the past, only the mining collector and the hose-lifting subsystem were tested; the overall system’s material transport, as well as the coordinated operation between vessels and mining collectors, have not been verified. Moreover, the mining collector’s travel distance on the lakebed and its collection operation time are both limited, and its driving performance and collection efficiency have not been effectively validated. Key technologies and core equipment in the mining system have yet to undergo offshore trials, and their stability and reliability have not been thoroughly assessed. Additionally, certain general marine engineering technologies have not yet been fully integrated into the marine mining system.

　　He analyzed that numerous domestic realities are the primary factors behind the serious lag in our country’s deep-sea science and technology research level as well as in the development of capabilities for exploring and exploiting deep-sea resources. Currently, China’s deep-sea mining technology is still at the forefront of domestic research efforts. —— The Ocean Mineral Development Technology Research Centers, including the Changsha Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the Changsha Institute of Mining Research, and Central South University, are located in Hunan Province, an inland region that does not border any ocean. As a result, these centers find themselves at a disadvantage in terms of national policy support and lack relevant supportive policies within the province. Moreover, technological institutions within the province are relatively dispersed, failing to form synergies or establish strategic alliances that could foster a unified R&D consensus. Due to the difficulty in ensuring policy continuity, R&D funding is severely insufficient, making it challenging to carry out in-depth research and design on comprehensive systems for the commercial exploitation of seabed mineral resources. Currently, there is also a significant shortage of offshore testing and validation platforms for individual module technologies and single-process equipment.

　　As a major maritime nation among developing countries, the development of international seabed mineral resources in our country can provide a sustained resource guarantee for economic sustainable development and holds broad strategic interests for our country in the exploration and utilization of marine resources. From this perspective, the state should vigorously advance the development of technologies for exploiting international seabed mineral resources in our country.

　　Yang Weigang suggested that the state should step up its policy support and coordinate among departments such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to further increase investment in scientific and technological projects related to deep-sea mineral resource exploration and development. The guidelines for project approval should explicitly emphasize basic research, technology development, and equipment R&D in this field. For projects anchored by major engineering initiatives—such as exploration and development of seabed mineral deposits—specialized support should be provided through targeted technological breakthroughs. It is crucial to coordinate with departments and institutions that are leaders in this technological field, promptly integrate their technical resources, formulate clear development strategies, and effectively carry out technological攻关. Furthermore, industry-research alliances should be established, and the pace of setting up offshore marine testing platforms should be accelerated. The transformation of research findings into practical applications must be expedited to safeguard China’s interests in international marine resources. At the same time, it is essential to strengthen support for existing key laboratories, upgrade their facilities, reinforce team building within these laboratories, cultivate leading figures in this field, enhance China’s R&D capabilities, and quickly narrow the gap with developed countries. □

　　Link: According to a report by the Nikkei, the Japanese government plans to develop technology that leverages artificial satellites to remotely control unmanned exploration vehicles from land, with the aim of improving the efficiency of marine resource surveys. This initiative will not only reduce the burden and costs associated with researchers spending extended periods aboard survey vessels but also enable researchers from various fields at onshore research centers to share survey data and conduct analysis more efficiently. The Japanese government is striving to achieve this goal by... 2018 The year will see the technology brought to practical application.

　　Currently, marine resource exploration typically involves deploying unmanned exploration vehicles from exploration vessels into the seabed, with the exploration vessels directly controlling and monitoring these vehicles during their operations. To carry out exploration tasks, researchers sometimes have to stay aboard ships for periods ranging from several weeks to several months.

　　The Japanese government plans to develop a technology—centered around the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), an independent administrative agency, and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)—that leverages artificial satellites and high-speed communication networks to connect exploration vessels, unmanned exploration vehicles, and ground-based research centers. The images and observational data collected by the unmanned exploration vehicles will be transmitted in real time to the ground research centers, where researchers from various fields will analyze the data using advanced tools. In the future, the plan also contemplates deploying multiple unmanned exploration vehicles simultaneously to conduct large-scale marine surveys in a single operation. The waters off Japan are believed to hold abundant resources, including methane hydrates and rare earth elements.