The next frontier: China maps seabed resources as Japan races to tap rare earths

AdvertisementChina-Japan relationsChinaDiplomacyThe next frontier: China maps seabed resources as Japan races to tap rare earthsAtlas charts location, concentration and distribution patterns of dozens of elements in seabed sediments 3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenOrange WangPublished: 9:00am, 16 Apr 2026China has issued its first map pinpointing seabed chemical elements in the country’s eastern waters as Japan also races to tap undersea rare earth resources and deep-sea minerals.The Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources published the results of marine geological surveys over the past two decades for the seas, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. The result was an atlas charting the location, concentration and distribution patterns of dozens of elements in seabed sediments, including rare earths, iron, manganese and copper, the report said. Japanese deep sea expedition returns home with rare earth samples Japanese deep sea expedition returns home with rare earth samplesCCTV described the document as a “master navigation map” for marine development and conservation in the waters. AdvertisementIt said the surveys covered more than 20,000 observation points, culminating in the broadest-ranging, most multidimensional and most reliable geochemical data set produced by China for that maritime area to date. “By [mapping] the distribution of elements, we can … precisely target seabed mineral resources, reducing blind exploration,” Dou Yanguang, a researcher with the ministry’s Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, was quoted as saying. AdvertisementDou also said the atlas could help rapidly identify polluted areas and ecologically sensitive zones to draw “red lines” for marine conservation and manage marine pollution risks. In addition to the Bohai Sea, one of China’s inland seas, the atlas covers the Yellow Sea – between the Chinese mainland and the Korean peninsula – and the East China Sea, where Beijing and Tokyo are still locked in long-standing territorial disputes, particularly over the islets China claims as the Diaoyu Islands and Japan administers as the Senkaku Islands. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x