Why China Wants to Host the New BBNJ Secretariat |
China Power | Diplomacy | East Asia
Why China Wants to Host the New BBNJ Secretariat
China’s Xiamen bid ups the stakes in the the battle over the secretariat host.
The skyline of Xiamen, China, as viewed from the sea.
On April 2, the third and final Preparatory Commission (PrepCom3) for the Entry into Force of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) came to a close after two weeks intensive negotiations in New York. The meeting aimed to smooth the way for the first meeting of Conference of the Parties (COP1), set to take place in January 2027.
Among the things discussed in PrepCom 3, the choice of host city for the new BBNJ Secretariat was a focal issue. Three candidate cities – Xiamen, China; Valparaíso, Chile; Brussels, Belgium – delivered their bid presentations for the Secretariat.
The BBNJ agreement is set to rewrite the rules of worldwide high seas and abundant resources therein. The campaign for BBNJ Secretariat host is not only a procedural step but a matter of competition over and representation of influence in global ocean governance. Valparaíso was the first to express its interest in serving the secretariat and launched its campaign as early as March 9, 2023, Brussels filed its application on January 23, 2025, and Xiamen was the latest candidate, depositing its official bidding to the United Nations on January 16, 2026.
What motivated China to finally join the game? What are its pros and cons, and how high is its chance of winning?
China’s Campaign Narrative
On January 16, China submitted its formal proposal to the U.N. to host the BBNJ Secretariat in the city of Xiamen, on its southeastern coast. China delivered a presentation on its bid on March 25.
China’s campaign positions itself as a staunch supporter of multilateralism and an active contributor to ocean governance. Accordingly, it outlines a three-pronged vision for the future BBNJ Secretariat: first, to enhance the inclusivity, efficiency, and global representativeness of the Agreement’s implementation, particularly by reflecting the perspectives of the Global South.
Second, China hopes that through its efforts, the BBNJ Secretariat will go beyond administrative and executive functions to promote cooperation, particularly by advancing the equitable sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources, capacity building, and technology transfer through the Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM).
Third, China aims to establish the Secretariat as an interactive platform with other relevant international organizations. To this end, China will provide adequate venue facilities and reserve space for the future launch of the CHM for the Secretariat to use, free-of-charge. China will also provide financial support to ensure the equal participation of least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked countries, and other countries in need.
China’s Considerations Behind the Bid
China’s participation in the competition to host the Secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement is motivated primarily by three considerations. First, China’s bid to host the Secretariat in Xiamen is a strategic move to address the geographical imbalance within the U.N. system and the mismatch between China’s contributions and its level of representation. The lack of regional representation within the U.N. system has been widely criticized, particularly in marine governance. While Asia encompasses the Pacific and Indian Oceans, none of the major administrative hubs for ocean governance – such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (headquartered in Hamburg, Germany), International Maritime Organization (in London, the U.K.) and International Seabed Authority (in Kingston, Jamaica) – are located in this region. In China’s presentation on March 25, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying pointed out that a BBNJ Secretariat in Xiamen would be the first U.N.-related body headquartered in the entire Asia Pacific.
Furthermore, China is concerned about the mismatch between its representation within the U.N. system and its status as the world’s second-largest economy and second-largest contributor to U.N. dues. China has been making efforts to address this gap. For instance, the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education and the World Data Organization (WDO), respectively, were recently established in Shanghai and Beijing. However, the Institute for STEM Education is a platform under UNESCO and the WDO is a non-governmental organization. Neither is comparable to the BBNJ Secretariat in terms of institutional level and global influence. As a permanent executive body established with universal membership, the BBNJ Secretariat is viewed by China as a major step forward to level up its institutional representation and influence in global governance.
Second, the campaign constitutes the latest move of China to galvanize its international reputation as a responsible power and boost its identity as a member of the Global South. China perceives........