China steps up deep-sea science role with UN-backed oceans exploration project

A China-led international deep-sea cooperative exploration project has won United Nations approval, paving the way for Beijing’s increased participation in global science and technology governance.

The Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP) aims to penetrate the mysteries of the deepest waters, in response to the UN goal of protecting and sustainably developing the oceans.

The multi-country initiative, spearheaded by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was selected earlier this month for inclusion in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which runs from 2021 to 2030.

Under the Ocean Decade framework, a global research centre will be established to run annual crewed expeditions into the hadal zone, which lies within the oceanic trenches, and provide regular public reports, according to a CAS statement on June 18.

Rui Bao, professor of deep-sea science at the Ocean University of China, said the GHEP programme “serves our national marine science development and strategy”.

“Its endorsement by the UN Ocean Decade reflects China’s increasing leadership and influence within the specialised field of global deep-sea exploration,” he said.