During the meeting with Madam Hua Chunying, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madam Hua congratulated Madam Secretary-General on her election as the first woman Secretary-General of the ISA. She reaffirmed China’s commitment to multilateralism and support for the mandate and work of the ISA. Madam Secretary-General expressed appreciation to the Government of China for its contribution and support to the work of ISA. Both sides exchanged views on the cooperation between China and the ISA.
“I wish to express appreciation to the Government of China for its exceptional support to the ISA, from its active participation in the Council and contributions to ISA funds, to its dedication to knowledge sharing and capacity development, including through the ISA-China Joint Training and Research Center,” said Madam Secretary-General. “I also recognize the steady efforts of the contractors sponsored by China in the face of significant challenges, particularly their investments in technology development, environmental surveys and capacity development for developing States.”
Madam Secretary-General also met with Mr. Zhang Bing, Chief Planner, Ministry of Natural Resources and exchanged views on issues related to the role of the sponsoring State, activities of the contractors, draft regulations for the exploitation of mineral resources in the Area and the ISA-China Joint Training and Research Centre.
During the meetings with the contractors, China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, China Minmetals and Beijing Pioneer High-Tech Development Corporation, Madam Secretary-General highlighted that the knowledge and experiences gained through the contractors’ activities are important to the work of the ISA and encouraged the contractors to continue engaging actively in the development of draft exploitation regulations.