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Deep-Sea Dilemmas
Context:
In recent years, discussions about China’s dominance at sea have often focused on its possession of the world’s largest navy, coast guard, and maritime militia.
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- However, an equally important factor deserves attention: China also boasts the largest marine research and oceanographic fleet globally.
- With 64 active vessels in 2024, a dramatic rise from just 19 in 2012, this fleet represents a critical element of China’s maritime strategy.
- These vessels are equipped for a wide range of scientific and strategic purposes, including seismology, bathymetry, climatology, deep-sea habitat studies, and seabed sampling.
- They also support manned and unmanned submersibles, deploy underwater monitoring systems, and even detect ballistic missiles.
- This robust capacity aligns with the priorities of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, which emphasises deep-sea exploration as a high-priority area under its science and technology goals.
Deployments in the Indo-Pacific
- China’s research vessels, now deployed on “far seas” missions, have made significant inroads into the Indo-Pacific region.
- These deployments concentrate on the Western Pacific, South China Sea, and Indian Ocean.
- Notably, China’s aggressive activities in the South and East China Seas during the 1980s and 1990s were preceded by extensive research vessel operations in these waters—a pattern now mirrored in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- In the IOR, deployments have targeted critical areas such as the southwestern Indian Ocean, Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea.
- For instance, in 2018, the research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 spent 250 days in the region.
- Recently, in August and September 2024, three Chinese research ships undertook coordinated missions in the Bay of Bengal, potentially surveying routes for People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) submarines.
- Reports of vessels occasionally deactivating their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) or engaging in AIS spoofing underscore the opaque nature of some operations.
Dominance in Deep-Seabed Mining
- China’s ambitions extend to the deep seabed, an arena governed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- The ISA has awarded 31 exploration contracts across key areas, including the Southwest Indian Ocean, Northwest Pacific Ocean, Clarion Clipperton Zone, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
- Of these, China holds five contracts, the highest number secured by any nation.
- China’s 2016 National Law on Seabed Exploration and Development reflects its commitment to this domain.
- The country’s research vessels frequently operate in allocated zones, deploying advanced submersibles to collect seabed samples.
- China is now a global leader in deep-seabed mining research and is shaping frameworks for future commercial exploitation.
- Efforts to finalise an ISA regulatory framework for seabed mining have faced delays, as concerns mount over environmental impacts, equitable resource sharing, and oversight mechanisms.
- At the ISA’s August 2024 meeting, discussions stalled again, prompting calls for a precautionary pause in mining activities.
Linkages with the PLA Navy
- Most research vessels are managed by state-owned agencies, universities, and institutions closely linked to the PLA Navy.
- These vessels are homeported at key naval hubs such as Xiamen, Zhoushan, Shanghai, and Qingdao, facilitating collaboration with naval establishments.
- These vessels also serve dual purposes, acting as mother ships for manned and unmanned submersibles, such as the Fendouzhe (capable of diving up to 10,000 meters), Jialong series, and Shenhai Yongshi.
- Unmanned systems, including the Hailong and Qianlong series, are also deployed.
- This collaboration underscores the strategic implications of China’s expanding maritime footprint, with research missions often serving as precursors to increased naval presence.
Strengthening Cooperation in Deep-Sea Exploration
- India has prioritised ocean research through its Samudrayaan Deep Ocean Mission and the development of vehicles like the Matsya submersible and the Varha deep-seabed mining system.
- India has also signaled plans for its first seabed mineral block auctions near the Great Nicobar Island.
- The United States, Japan, and Australia are also pursuing advanced initiatives in this domain.
- A coordinated framework for collaboration, possibly under the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), could foster joint research, exploration, and mining efforts.
- India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) offers a roadmap for such cooperation.
- Four of its seven pillars—Maritime Ecology, Maritime Resources, Capacity Building and Resource Sharing, and Science, Technology, and Academic Cooperation—directly address deep-sea exploration and mining.
