On 15-16 November 2019, NISCSS President Dr. Wu Shicun attended the international conference on the “Legal, Scientific and Economic Aspects of Deep Seabed Mining,” and chaired the panel “The Future” in Kingston, Jamaica. The conference marked the 25th anniversary of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

More than 60 experts and scholars from China, Canada, South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden and Caribbean countries, as well as from the international organizations, attended the conference, where the establishment and development of the International Seabed Authority were reviewed, and critical topics were discussed, including the exploration and exploitation of international seabed resources, the liability issues of the sponsoring states and enterprises involved in deep seabed mining, and negotiations on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).

President Wu Shicun chaired the Panel “The Future” in the conference

As Dr. Wu noted that in a scenario the technology of deep sea exploration and exploitation has improved dramatically in the next decades, and human’s need for deep sea resource further increases, would that trigger conflicts between nations or cause environmental disaster that people nowadays cannot even anticipate? Would the high demand for deep-sea resource increase, as technology develop, to a level of dependency that is as high as our current dependency on petroleum and natural gas? Would that lead to a reshuffle of geopolitics, and create a “new-Middle East” in the maritime resource domain? To answer these questions, Dr. Wu suggested that the ISA establish regional branches or offices in Asia, Europe, and Africa. These regional centers or offices are set to train and track deep-sea science and technology research, deep-sea development and application technology research, as well as human resource capacity building. Dr. Wu emphasized that the future of human beings rests in the sea and the future of the sea rests in the deep sea. ISA spearheads on the administration of the deep sea and every single one of us shall be well-prepared the this upcoming future.

Dr. Hong Nong, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for China-America Studies chaired the Panel “Future of Deep Sea Mineral Resources”.

 The conference marks the 25th anniversary of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

During the conference, Dr. Wu Shicun also visited Tian Qi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Jamaica.

President Wu Shicun made a visit to Tian Qi, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Jamaica