China's choice on the participation in establishing marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction

Currently, the issue of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) has made a lot of significant progress in both international legislative process and national practices. As a State Party to UNCLOS, China has actively participated in the negotiations of the BBNJ agreement, in which the marine protected areas (MPAs) as one of the area-based management tools have been an issue of great concern. It is considered to be a feasible and direct conservation tool. In order to evaluate the possibility of China's participation in the establishment of MPAs in the future, this paper analyzes the drivers for and limits on China's involvement in the construction of MPAs in the context of the current Chinese situation. And it also puts forward possible countermeasures on how to deal with the challenges brought by the MPAs in ABNJ to China. It is concluded that there is a great possibility that China will eventually choose to participate in the establishment of MPAs in ABNJ as China advocates the concept of a maritime community with a shared future.

Automated summary

Currently, there has been significant progress in the international legislative process and national practices concerning marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). China, as a State Party to UNCLOS, actively participates in negotiations on the BBNJ agreement, with a particular focus on marine protected areas (MPAs) as a feasible tool for conservation. This paper analyzes the drivers and limits of China's involvement in the establishment of MPAs and proposes countermeasures to address the challenges posed by MPAs in ABNJ. It concludes that there is a high possibility of China choosing to participate in the establishment of MPAs in ABNJ due to its commitment to the concept of a maritime community with a shared future.