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China bids to host High Seas Treaty secretariat, even as US exits UN bodies
China puts forward Xiamen as potential future home of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction secretariat as treaty comes into force
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China has proposed to host the secretariat of a new treaty governing the high seas, in what observers say is the latest effort by Beijing to proactively play a bigger role in shaping international rules of order.
Days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to pull the US from 66 international organisations, including United Nations commissions and major bodies set up to tackle climate change, China has bid for Xiamen in Fujian province – a coastal hub that sits on the Taiwan Strait – to be the future home of the High Seas Treaty secretariat.
The treaty entered into force on Saturday after being ratified by more than 60 countries.
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Ramped-up US operations over the past month to seize Venezuela-linked tankers, largely on the high seas in the Caribbean, have highlighted the complexities of law enforcement in international waters.
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The landmark agreement, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), provides a framework for governing the ocean that lies beyond the jurisdiction of any individual country.
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