International Deep Seabed Mining and China's Legislative Commitment to Marine Environmental Protection

• Author: Hao Shen
• Pages: 489-490

China’s Deep Seabed Legislation 489

X JEAIL 2 (2017)

Hao Shen

∗

Part XI of the UNCLOS lays out the legal framework for deep seabed mining activities

in the Area. Several countries have already passed domestic deep seabed mining laws



the ISA, established under the Convention. China passed its own deep seabed mining

law in 2016. China’s deep seabed mining law aims at securing effective regulation of its

sponsored contractors’ deep seabed activities and ensuring the contractors’ compliance

with the rules and regulations issued by the ISA. China’s law pays tremendous

attention to marine environmental protection during contractors’ deep seabed



then illustrates China’s legislative actions, examines the key environmental provisions

of China’s deep seabed law and analyzes the balancing of interests of multiple parties

behind China’s emphasis on marine environmental protection during the exploration

and exploitation of deep seabed minerals.

Keywords

UNCLOS, Deep Seabed, China

’

s Deep Seabed Mining Law, Environmental

Protection, State Sponsorship

International Deep

Seabed Mining and China

’

s

Legislative Commitment to

Marine Environmental

Protection

∗Assistant Professor of Law at East China Normal University. LL.B. (ECUPL), LL.M./Ph.D. (Fudan). ORCID: http://

orcid.org/0000-0002-4235-4179. The author may be contacted at: hshen@law.ecnu.edu.cn / Address: 105-6, Building 1,

1298 Changde Rd. Shanghai, P.R. China 200060.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2017.10.2.08