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China is pushing to host a global ocean protection body, aiming to take advantage of the US withdrawal from leadership on multilateral and environmental issues under President Donald Trump.
During U.N.-mediated talks in New York last week, China lobbied hard to become the first Asia-Pacific host to a major U.N. body, people with knowledge of the discussions said.
This body will help govern the UN High Seas Treaty, which provides a legal path to the pledge to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.
During a series of private meetings with country and nonprofit representatives, China said it could fill a vacuum left by America’s aversion to multilateralism and the U.N., according to three attendees. “They don’t beat around the bush when it comes to the US,” said one.
China provided more than $70 million in funding for ocean protection. It also promised at the meetings in New York to be “flexible” on visas, and to offer immunity to diplomats and campaigners who would attend the meetings to implement the treaty in the port city of Xiamen, those present said.
More than 80 countries that have ratified the treaty are expected to vote in January on rival bids from Chile, Belgium and China to host the UN’s global forum for ocean governance discussions – similar to the annual UN Climate Conference of the Parties, or COP.
The first Oceans COP will focus on establishing marine protected zones and monitoring mechanisms, and will be supported by a scientific and technical body and a secretariat.
The legally binding oceans agreement, which came into force in January this year, gives governments a forum to designate, finance and govern protected zones, and decide who benefits from the lucrative genetic resources found at sea.
The US was among the countries that signed the treaty in 2023 but did not ratify it. Under the current Trump administration, contributions to the UN budget have been reduced.
Top Chinese political leaders had backed the well-financed bid, “informed by the US absence,” said Shuo Li, director of the China climate hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute think tank.
“They see this as an opportunity for them to take their international responsibility and contrast with the US,” said the Washington-based analyst.
A large number of senior Chinese diplomats presented their bid in New York, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi via a video message. China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Fu Cong, said: “In a world of growing uncertainty, China will remain a steadfast pillar of multilateralism.”
Yi Xianliang, a Chinese diplomat leading the bid, declined to comment.
Countries including Belarus, which has not signed the treaty, Pakistan, and the small island states of Vanuatu and Dominica have expressed support for China’s bid, according to those present at the meetings in New York.
However, some countries expressed concerns about ceding significant influence over ocean governance issues to a country with a wide range of maritime boundary issues and a track record of monitoring human rights and environmental activists. China is also by far the most active country in the exploitation of international waters through fishing.
China argued last week that the establishment of marine protected areas – a key goal of the treaty – could be vetoed by any country if it is perceived as affecting national sovereignty.
The EU negotiating bloc raised concerns during the New York talks about China’s oversight role as a potential host of a data-sharing mechanism through which countries would share information on lucrative patents and marine genetic findings.
While the details of the host country’s powers are yet to be ironed out, this is expected to have a significant impact on the organisation’s funding and future direction.
“The race against Chile was a matter of geography, pragmatism… With China in the race, it’s about what type of implementation of the treaty you want,” said a person close to the Belgian bid.
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