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東文研セミナー「Who Governs Deep-Sea Mining? A Battle Between Global and National Governance」開催のお知らせ
Dear colleagues,
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA or Tobunken), the University of Tokyo, is pleased to host a lecture by Dr. Lai-Ha Chan (University of Technology Sydney), entitled “Who Governs Deep-Sea Mining? A Battle Between Global and National Governance,” on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. This lecture, held as part of the Tobunken Seminar series, will take place in person at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia.
Lecture Title:
Who Governs Deep-Sea Mining? A Battle Between Global and National Governance
Speaker:
Dr. Lai-Ha Chan (Senior Lecturer in the Social and Political Sciences Programme, University of Technology Sydney)
Date and Time:
November 18 (Wednesday), 2026, 10:00–12:00 JST
Venue: Main Conference Room (3rd Floor), Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo （東京大学東洋文化研究所 3階 大会議室）
Moderator and Commentator: Professor Yasuhiro Matsuda, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo）
Lecture Abstract: As China-United States competition over critical minerals intensifies, interest in deep-sea mining (DSM) in areas beyond national jurisdiction grows rapidly. However, who governs it? This Element offers a pioneering study of the relationship between global and national governance of DSM. Using a constructivist-interpretive approach, it unpacks 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’, and contrasts it with the USA’s preference for ‘freedom of the high seas’. It explores how the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the USA and China interpret these social constructs’ meanings when developing the DSM Mining Code. Although Washington’s unilateral action to pursue DSM may speed up the finalization of the Mining Code, the future of DSM remains uncertain due to mounting concerns about its commercial viability. A moratorium is emerging as the mainstream direction.
About the Speaker: Dr. Lai-Ha Chan is an International Relations scholar specializing in global governance and Indo-Pacific politics. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Social and Political Sciences Programme 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 recent co-authored monograph, Who Governs Deep-Sea Mining? A Battle Between Global and National Governance (Cambridge University Press, 2026), examines the geopolitics of deep-sea mining beyond national jurisdiction. She has also conducted research on minilateralism, particularly the rise and effectiveness of the Quad and AUKUS in the Indo-Pacific (published in the Australian Journal of International Affairs in 2023 and 2024).
How to Participate: Pre-registration is required. Please register using the form below by [事前登録締切日時、例: November 16, 2026, 17:00 JST].
Registration Form:
[事前登録用Googleフォーム]
https://forms.gle/mxbSoS6dvA6oSP3K7
Contact Person: Yasuhiro Matsuda (Yasuhiro Matsuda : mailto:ymatsuda@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Organizer: Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo
登録種別：研究会関連
登録日時：FriOct2317:29:032026
登録者 ：松田・神林
掲載期間：20261026 - 20261118
当日期間：20261118 - 20261118
