Reference Message Network reported on April 25 that according to a report by Agence France-Presse on April 24, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order on the same day aimed at opening large-scale deep-sea mineral mining including international waters, which posed a challenge to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which theoretically has jurisdiction over the high seas.

The report said that the order required Commerce Secretary Lutnik to "expedite the review" of applications for "exploration and exploitation" of minerals outside the "jurisdiction of the United States" and "expedite the issuance of permits." It also required Interior Secretary Bergem to take similar measures in U.S. territorial waters.

A senior U.S. official said that this measure was expected to collect 1 billion tons of materials within 10 years.

The report said that under relevant agreements, the International Seabed Authority has jurisdiction over the seabed in international waters. However, the United States has never signed these agreements.

The order also instructed the commerce secretary to prepare a report on the "feasibility of a sharing mechanism" for seabed products.

According to a statement by Waters, vice president of the Ocean Conservancy, a non-governmental organization, "The U.S. government is mining minerals in international waters regardless of the will of other parts of the world, paving the way for other countries to follow suit."

He warned: "This will have negative impacts on all of us and the oceans we depend on."

An official said that the Trump administration estimated that deep-sea mining could create 100,000 jobs and increase the U.S. gross domestic product by $300 billion within 10 years.

This official also claimed: "We want the United States to lead China in this field."

The order pointed out: "The United States faces unprecedented economic and national security challenges, namely ensuring the supply of critical minerals without relying on foreign adversaries."

(Translated by Lin Xiaoxuan)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497170523747566106/

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