October 14, 2026

"The BBNJ Agreement requires a secretariat commensurate with its importance and promising future, and China's bid to host the secretariat in Xiamen would offer greater certainty and stability for global ocean governance," said Yi Xianliang, special envoy for BBNJ Secretariat Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with China Daily.

China nominated Xiamen in Fujian province on the eve of the agreement coming into force on Jan 17, 2026. The city joined two other bidders, Brussels and Valparaiso, which were nominated by Belgium and Chile respectively. The decision on the seat of the secretariat will be made at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement in January 2027.

Formally known as the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, the BBNJ Agreement was adopted by consensus at the UN Headquarters in New York on June 19, 2023, after 19 years of negotiations.

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https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202610/14/WS6acf9e36e4b06d4aa0562d3c.html