Who Governs Deep-Sea Mining? A Battle Between Global and National Governance
Free Seminar
June 18, 2026
As rising global demand for critical minerals intensifies, interest in deep-sea mining (DSM) in areas beyond national jurisdiction is growing rapidly. However, who governs it? This question offers a pioneering study of the relationship between global and national governance of DSM.
Using a constructivist-interpretive approach, this talk will unpack the international DSM regime established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which posits that the deep seabed is the ‘common heritage of humankind’. This contrasts the USA’s ‘freedom of the high seas’ policy. The discussion will also explore how the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the USA and China interpret the meanings of these social constructs when developing the DSM Mining Code.
Although the US government’s actions to pursue DSM may speed up the finalisation of the Mining Code, the future of DSM remains uncertain due to mounting concerns about its commercial viability. There is growing support for a moratorium, or official pause, on all DSM activities.
Topics to be covered
- Deep-sea mining (DSM) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ)
- ‘Freedom of the high seas’ v. ‘common heritage of [hu]mankind’
- International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the ‘Mining Code’
- International campaign for a moratorium on DSM
Speaker
DR LAI-HA CHAN
Dr Lai-Ha Chan is a Senior Lecturer in the Social and Political Sciences Programme within the Faculty of Design and Society at the University of Technology Sydney. She has held two major international research fellowships outside UTS: the Fung Global Fellows Program at Princeton University (2016–17) and the Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Research Fellowship (2025–26).
Her current research focuses primarily on the governance of deep-sea mining (DSM). Her forthcoming book, Who Governs Deep-Sea Mining? A Battle Between Global and National Governance (Cambridge University Press, 2026), examines the evolving relationship between global and national governance frameworks in DSM.
She has also conducted research on minilateralism, particularly the rise and effectiveness of the Quad and AUKUS in the Indo-Pacific. Findings from this research were published in the Australian Journal of International Affairs in 2023 and 2024.
Discussant
DR ALINE JAECKEL
Dr Aline Jaeckel is Associate Professor of International Law at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong. Her research focuses on law of the sea and international law with a particular focus on the regulation and governance of deep seabed mining. She has published widely on the topic, including a book on the International Seabed Authority (2017) and a co-edited handbook on international marine environmental law (2023). She acts as a government advisor during the ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority.
Moderator
MR RYOSUKE HANADA
Mr Ryosuke Hanada is a PhD candidate and Sessional Teaching Staff at the School of International Studies, Macquarie University. He was a Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), researching Japan’s foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region from 2016 to 2020. He experienced several fellowship programs, including the Japan-US Partnership Program of the Research Institute of Peace and Security (RIPS), Young Strategist Forum of the German Marshall Fund (GMF), Strategic Japan Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indo-Pacific Fellow of the Perth USAsia Centre, and Raisina Young Fellow of Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in India. He holds Master of Research from Macquarie University, MA from the University of Warwick and BA in Law from Waseda University.
EVENT DETAILS
June 18, 2026 (Thursday)
11:30am – 1:30pm AEST
30min networking (light refreshments provided) + 30min presentation + 30min discussion + 30min Q&A
Onsite & online via the JPF Sydney Facebook page
Free; Bookings not required
Video via Facebook.
No account or login required.
Check link for a video from 12:00pm on the day.
*There will be no video recordings available.
VENUE
For onsite attendance, find us at:
The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Level 4, Central Park
28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008
ADMISSION
Free; bookings not required
ENQUIRIES
(02) 8239 0055
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