A White House executive order on ‘Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals’ signed by President Trump on April 24th, authorises “immediate action to accelerate the responsible development of seabed mineral resources.” The presidential decree covers mining within U.S. waters, in international waters and in partnerships with countries that are mining the seafloor in their own territories.
Beijing has reacted stating that mining in domestic and international waters “violates international law.”
In response to a question from AFP, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said “the authorisation … violates international law and harms the overall interests of the international community.”
As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, the Trump administration’s move aims to sidestep the UN body governing the ocean floor and the harvesting of minerals and metals in international waters.
