A state-owned Chinese company plans to conduct a groundbreaking mining experiment in the Pacific Ocean’s international waters, including areas near Minami-Torishima Island, according to sources familiar with the project. This marks what is believed to be the world’s first such deep-sea mining experiment, requiring advanced technology to mine at depths of over 5,000 meters.
The experiment is part of China’s broader strategy to gain a dominant position in the global supply chain for rare metals. If allowed to proceed, China could take the lead in the emerging industry of seabed mineral extraction.
Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, mineral resources found on or beneath the seabed in international waters are considered “the common heritage of mankind.” The International Seabed Authority (ISA), headquartered in Jamaica, oversees all mineral-related activities in these areas. However, there are currently no international regulations governing commercial development, although the ISA grants countries and companies with sufficient technological capabilities the exclusive rights to explore specific ocean areas in preparation for future mining.
The Chinese company behind the experiment, Beijing Pioneer Hi-Tech Development Corp., has exclusive exploration rights in two regions near Minami-Torishima Island, located just outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The island is part of the Ogasawara island chain, which belongs to Japan. According to the company’s plan, submitted to the ISA, it will conduct a 20-day trial mining operation next August, about 600 kilometers from the island. During this test, the company intends to deploy special equipment from a depot ship to vacuum manganese nodules from the seabed in an area spanning approximately 250,000 square meters. It aims to collect up to 7,500 tons of nodules without actually raising them to the surface. Additionally, China will assess the potential environmental impacts of the mining.
Another state-owned company, China Minmetals Corp., is planning to collect around 1,300 tons of manganese nodules from the seabed off Hawaii between July and October, with plans to raise several tons of them to the surface.
The ISA is expected to set international regulations for seabed mineral extraction and commercial trade at its general meeting next summer. Once these rules are established, Chinese companies, having developed advanced mining technologies, could potentially dominate the global market with large-scale extractions.
Rare metals, such as manganese, are critical for producing electric vehicle batteries and other high-tech products, leading countries to race to secure these valuable resources. However, Japan has fallen behind China and Western countries in developing the necessary technologies for deep-sea mining.
While Japan is allowed to develop seabed resources within its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ), its plans for commercial development of rare earths are still in the early stages. The Japanese government has set a target for commercial seabed mining to begin by fiscal year 2028, but small-scale experimental projects led by institutions such as the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology won’t start until 2026 at the earliest.
“If China succeeds in its upcoming large-scale experiments, its mining technology will become the most advanced in the world,” said Professor Yasuhiro Kato of the University of Tokyo. “Japan should accelerate its efforts to develop seabed resources, leveraging its advantage of having these resources within its EEZ.”
