From May 25 to 26, the Eighth International Symposium on Scientific and Legal Issues Concerning the Continental Shelf and the International Seabed Area Regime was held in Xiamen, China. The symposium was jointly organized by the National Key Laboratory of Seabed Science and Delimitation of China, the Second Institute of Oceanography under the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Marine Development Strategy Research Institute of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Attendees included heads of the three core institutions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea—the International Seabed Authority, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea—as well as representatives from the United Nations Office for海洋 Affairs and the Law of the Sea, along with experts and scholars from multiple countries. Estevan Palae, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique, was also invited to attend and deliver a speech. This was the largest edition of the conference since its inception in 2010.
The seminar lasted for two days, focusing on the development progress, challenges, and future directions of the regimes governing the continental shelf and international seabed areas, with in-depth discussions conducted from both scientific and legal perspectives. The conference introduced two new topics— “Frontiers in Seabed Science and Technology” and “International Marine Governance: Challenges and Prospects” —significantly broadening the scope and depth of the discussions. This international conference, now in its eighth consecutive edition since inception, has become a vital platform for governments, international organizations, and academia to explore marine governance and sustainable management of deep-sea resources, as well as a key window into China’s role and stance in global marine governance.
At the opening ceremony of the seminar, Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Director of the State Oceanic Administration, emphasized in his speech that establishing a fair and reasonable international maritime order is the shared aspiration of all countries, and the three major institutions established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea have played a vital role. The Convention on Biological Diversity in the Sea (BBNJ Convention), which came into effect in January this year, has ushered in a new chapter in global marine governance. Sun Shuxian stated that China is willing to work with all parties to uphold the authority of multilateral governance, strictly comply with international law including the Convention, respect the statutory functions of the three institutions, and promote the improvement of the global marine governance system; deepen scientific research exchanges and cooperation to empower marine governance through technological innovation; advance the implementation of rules and coordinate deliberations, consultations, and compliance processes; and jointly safeguard marine ecological security by strengthening international cooperation in marine ecological protection.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying addressed the conference via video link. She noted that the world is currently far from peaceful, with global challenges emerging incessantly. The Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in September 2025 provides new ideas and frameworks to address such challenges. Regarding global governance in the maritime domain, China calls on all parties to uphold multilateralism, advocate for the rule of international law, and advance practical cooperation. She particularly emphasized that the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity in the Sea has ushered in a new chapter in global marine governance, necessitating a secretariat commensurate with its significance and development prospects to coordinate, monitor, and support the implementation and subsequent review of the agreement. Hua Chunying explicitly stated that China firmly supports multilateralism and the United Nations cause, and is both willing and capable of making substantial contributions to international marine governance, proposing Xiamen as the optimal location for the secretariat. In his speech, Wu Bin, Mayor of the Xiamen Municipal People’s Government, noted that Xiamen was born of the sea, thrived because of the sea, and is deeply integrated with the sea. The city is actively advancing policies to benefit the sea, protect its ecology, revitalize its marine resources through technology, and invigorate its maritime sector, striving to establish a model of maritime rule of law and contribute Xiamen’s strength to building a “Community with a Shared Future for the Ocean.”
As a developing country, China’s investment in marine governance has been particularly noteworthy. Specifically, China has demonstrated a clear roadmap in upholding multilateral cooperation frameworks and advancing the implementation of new international maritime rules. This open and confident approach reflects China’s determination to participate in global marine governance and underscores the responsibilities of a major maritime power within the multilateral system. The United States’ recent decision to withdraw from several international organizations has introduced additional variables into an already uncertain global framework. Such participation or withdrawal decisions, driven by domestic policy cycles and self-interest considerations, have exerted certain impacts on the effectiveness of international organizations and the rules-based international governance system.
China has consistently participated in global governance through stable domestic rule of law and international cooperation. At the domestic level, China is elevating marine environmental protection to a systematic national legal framework through the compilation of the Ecological Environment Code, providing solid institutional safeguards for the long-term conservation of marine biodiversity. At the international level, China not only took the lead in ratifying relevant new marine governance agreements but also proactively applied to host the secretariats of key institutions, aiming to substantially enhance the effective operation of multilateral cooperation frameworks.
This governance model, grounded in institutional frameworks rather than political cycles, provides valuable stability and certainty for the volatile international maritime environment. At a time when global governance urgently requires deeper cooperation, China has demonstrated its commitment as a major power in global maritime governance through its institutionalized open platform and predictable rule-of-law framework.