China announces plan to expand seabed mining in Indian Ocean

Beijing, Sept 17 (PTI) China Saturday announced plans to
expand its seabed mineral explorations in the Indian Ocean
after an international authority approved its bid to mine for
polymetallic sulphide ore, much to the surprise of India.
Beijing has already got approval to explore in a 10,000
sq km seabed area in southwest Indian Ocean for the ore and
now it plans to invest more to expand the "depth and scope of
oceanic research".
Following the approval, China's Ocean Mineral Resources
Research and Development Association is set to sign a 15-year
exploration contract with the International Seabed Authority
(ISA) later this year granting pre-emptive rights for it to
develop the ore deposit in future, state run Xinhua reported.
"We will expand the depths and scope of oceanic research
and improve our understanding of the ocean, with special
focuses on the polar regions and deep sea environments," Liu
Cigui, head of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), told a
meeting on oceanic technology here.
The move has already raised concerns in India with
Directorate of Naval Intelligence (DNI) informing the Indian
government that the contract would provide an excuse for China
to operate its warships besides compiling data on the vast
mineral resources in India's backyard.
Chinese released a guideline on the oceanic science and
technology development between 2011 and 2015, vowing to invest
more to boost the country's maritime economy.
Liu said more efforts will be made to boost innovation
and strive for breakthroughs in key technology in order to
stimulate the development of emerging oceanic industries but
did not mention the amount money China will be investing.
The announcement followed China's bid for exploring the
international seabed region of southwest Indian Ocean for
polymetallic sulphide deposit was approved by ISA, last month
much to the surprise of India.