Mr. Gunasekara expressed the urgent need for US leadership in deep-sea mineral development, the competitive and geopolitical stakes of the industry, and the regulatory reforms required to enable responsible domestic action.
“The Trump Administration has taken bold action to unlock America’s seabed mineral resources,” said Gunasekara. “Deep-sea mining is now inevitable. The only question is whether America will lead—or cede this strategic frontier to China.”
Gunasekara’s testimony emphasizes that China has spent more than a decade positioning itself to dominate deep-sea mining through state-backed investment and influence over the international seabed licensing regime. In contrast, America’s competitive advantage is innovation: new technology that leverages advances in AI and robotics to lower cost and enable responsible development of an abundant domestic resource, with no dependence on foreign adversaries.
Watch Oliver Gunasekara’s full testimony below on YouTube, or read his full written testimony here.