China Daily reports that the country will make renewed efforts to join the race to mine the deep sea for critical minerals. The English language government-run paper says China lags behind the West in terms of research, technology and hardware for seabed mining which it calls “a new frontier for international competition.”
Ye Cong of Wuxi-based China Ship Scientific Research Center, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corp, said mining the metals found in nodules on the seafloor – mainly nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese – will “help us reduce the heavy reliance on foreign suppliers”.
Ye is a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a policy shaping body, that was held last week. China Daily reports the state shipbuilding company is known for its deep sea submersibles like the Jiaolong (Sea Dragon) and the Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior).
For the rest of this article: https://www.mining.com/china-to-step-up-deep-sea-mining-efforts/