AFP: The United Nations approves China Minmetals Group to mine treasures from the seabed! The U.S. refuses to sign the international treaty, attempting to bypass international supervision for deep-sea rare earth mining. AFP, May 22, 2025. China's deep-sea mining company announced on Tuesday that it has been permitted to conduct exploratory seabed mining in the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first Chinese company to receive permission from an international regulatory body. China Minmetals stated that its environmental impact report regarding the planned trial mining "has recently passed" the review of the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). According to the report, this will allow China Minmetals Group to conduct trials for collecting polymetallic nodules in a designated area of the Pacific seabed in international waters. Minmetals Group said that this is "the first time that China's environmental impact report meets ISA's standards for seabed mining tests, and this approval can serve as a reference for subsequent approvals." Countries around the world are racing to secure access to the rich mineral resources on the ocean floor, which are crucial for renewable energy and electric vehicle batteries. Until now, China has not engaged in mining in international waters because it has been waiting for the long-developed regulations of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). However, the U.S. has not participated in the treaty establishing the International Seabed Court and therefore is attempting to circumvent this process. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding America's deep-sea rare earth mining activities in domestic and international waters. Trump's order sparked protests from China, which described it as "violating international law." Environmental groups have warned about the ecological costs of deep-sea mining, but growing demand for resources and the high environmental costs of terrestrial mining are driving a race to secure access to these resources. According to the Peace Research Institute, an affiliate of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ISA), China is a major funder of ISA. Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832769972129795/ Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.