PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop a modular governance framework that can support China’s climate mitigation and adaptation commitments in international climate agreements by enhancing market-based allocation and governance of blue carbon resources in China.Design/methodology/approachA multi-case comparative analysis of blue carbon regulatory pilot programs in Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan is conducted using a theory of modularity. A systematized diagnoses of institutional barriers to China’s blue carbon governance is presented, as well as pathways for improving institutional efficiency and integrating the market.FindingsPublic monitoring functions are progressively decoupled from private development rights in the market oriented under regulation model. Market mechanisms have driven significant price differentiation in blue carbon trading, alongside the emergence of financial modularity such as insurance products. In the entrusted management model, communities retain use rights, while enterprises acquire rights of exploitation, allowing compensation funds to support livelihood transitions without forced reclamations. The international connection model prioritizes alignment with the Verified Carbon Standard to facilitate cross-border blue carbon transactions. However, all models operate through local platforms rather than the national China Certified Emission Reduction mechanism, revealing a critical modular mismatch.Originality/valueThis study proposes a modular governance framework that formalizes public regulatory functions, marketizes private transaction rights and socializes community-based hybrid rights. Providing actionable governance solutions across institutional, technical and international cooperation dimensions, this study contributes to the global discourse on blue carbon resources.

The advancement of sustainable energy is a key component of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Technology advancements have made tidal current energy (TCE) a promising renewable energy source. China possesses abundant TCE resources and has gradually incorporated TCE into its energy and marine development policies. In China, TCE projects are currently being implemented on a large scale. However, despite policy-level recognition, TCE development in China has received limited regulatory attention, particularly with respect to environmental protection and ecological risk governance. Existing governance frameworks largely rely on general marine environmental and ecological policies, which are insufficient to address the three-dimensional, underwater characteristics and cumulative ecological risks. This study analyzes the evolution of China’s TCE-related laws and policies and identifies key deficiencies in current environmental regulation. To promote the sustainable TCE projects, the paper proposes tentative recommendations to promote the sustainable development of TCE in China, including the formulation of specialized environmental impact assessment guidelines grounded in the precautionary principle, future policies for addressing the cumulative environmental impact of large-scale TCE deployment, and the establishment of an environmental risk assessment system tailored to the data limitations and ecological characteristics of TCE exploitation.

Five countries have made submissions for an extended continental shelf in the South China Sea (SCS) to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), fuelling tensions and disputes with China. As the CLCS' decision to consider and qualify these submissions may have a far-reaching impact on the settlement of territorial and maritime disputes in the region, comprehensive understanding and analysis of the CLCS' strategies in managing "submissions involving land or maritime disputes" in practice is needed. China's notes verbales contesting the submissions may not stop the CLCS from considering these submissions. Therefore, to ensure that its interests are respected, China should amend its notes verbales by: (1) identifying the 'dispute'; (2) clarifying its status as party to the 'dispute'; (3) expressing "not consent" and requesting the CLCS "not to consider or qualify" any of the submissions; and (4) clarifying the legal scope of waters in the SCS.

The seas and islands are inextricably linked to the sustainable growth of islands. Multi-pathways, including sustainable utilization of island and marine resources, are essential for fostering the prosperity of island nations and regions. In this context, on November 4th, 2024, a forum was organized by various units specialized in marine and island studies, including the Island Research Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China. The chosen theme was “Blue Future Hinged on Island Prosperity”. Participants from various countries around the world – including representatives of government agencies, academic institutions, and experts attended the hybrid conference to discuss some of the key issues involved in fostering island prosperity.

Asia's cultural heritage is increasingly threatened by climate change, environmental degradation and destructive human activities. In 2021, 10 Asian states, including China, formed the Asian Cultural Heritage Alliance (ACHA). The study utilised a mixed-method comprehensive review methodology to determine if ACHA is a regional public good or a supranational entity and assess its potential to advance the protection of Asia's underwater cultural heritage (UCH). The results revealed that ACHA is a regional supranational entity designed to deliver public goods, notably regional cultural heritage conservation services, not a public good in and of itself. However, ACHA faces many challenges, including institutional prematureness, competing foreign policy positions, and domestic political concerns. Despite this, ACHA provides a potential new transnational governance mechanism for Asian UCH protection with profound cultural policy implications, including the refinement of regional UCH protection, enhanced funding mechanisms, the coordination of State and non-state actors, and reimagined international conferences to promote real-world outcomes.

Halfway through Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, only 15 percent of the goals have been reached. As a carbon storage and climate change mitigation mechanism, blue carbon is closely related to sustainable development goals and plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. In spite of its great potential, blue carbon still faces several challenges in terms of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Herein, this review aims to retrieve all known impacts of blue carbon on sustainable development through research published on the Web of Science from 2012 to 2023 using a sequence of bibliometric analyses. Keywords such as “blue carbon” and “sustain*” (including “sustainability”, “sustainable”, etc.) were used for article extraction. CiteSpace, a science mapping tool, was used to capture and visually present the bibliometric information in the research about blue carbon and sustainable development. Upon reviewing the existing literature, no study has concentrated on bibliometrically analyzing and visualizing studies about blue carbon and sustainable development. This study sets out to fill this gap by examining the key areas of concentration in published works on blue carbon and sustainable development from 2012 to date. Moreover, the integration of blue carbon and sustainable development may help to develop supportive policies for marine carbon sinks. Despite the valuable contribution of this study to the blue carbon and sustainable development body of knowledge, generalizations of the results must be made cautiously due to the use of a single database, which in this case is the Web of Science.

Marine pollution, a major disturbance to the sustainable use of oceans, is becoming more prevalent around the world. Multidimensional and sustainable ocean governance have become increasingly focused on managing, reducing, and eliminating marine pollution. Artificial intelligence has been used more and more in recent years to monitor and control marine pollution. This systematic literature review, encompassing studies from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, delineates the extensive role of artificial intelligence in marine pollution management, revealing a significant surge in research and application. This review aims to provide information and a better understanding of the application of artificial intelligence in marine pollution. In marine pollution, 57% of AI applications are used for monitoring, 24% for management, and 19% for prediction. Three areas are emphasized: (1) detecting and responding to oil pollution, (2) monitoring water quality and its practical application, and (3) monitoring and identifying plastic pollution. Each area benefits from the unique capabilities of artificial intelligence. If the scientific community continues to explore and refine these technologies, the convergence of artificial intelligence and marine pollution may yield more sophisticated solutions for environmental conservation. Although artificial intelligence offers powerful tools for the treatment of marine pollution, it does have some limitations. Future research recommendations include (1) transferring experimental outcomes to industrial applications in a broader sense; (2) highlighting the cost-effective advantages of AI in marine pollution control; and (3) promoting the use of AI in the legislation and policy-making about controlling marine pollution.

The BRI has made substantial contributions to the world economy and the realization of goals of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Because of its unique features: it is a regional economic cooperation initiative for global development and the elimination of poverty; it abides by the principles of the rule of law and democracy; it resorts to soft laws for the building of confidence and consensus for the future formulation of hard laws; it is open to diversified participants, but confined to economic and cultural cooperation, thus avoiding geopolitical and military confrontation. The non-institutionalized, non-systematic approach is rooted in China’s path to successful economic development during its opening-up period but poses challenges to the sustainable success of the BRI. Therefore, China should make efforts to make systematic construction of the BRI legal and institutional system; strictly limit its scope to economic and cultural cooperation; and institutionalize the cooperation mechanism with a diversified dispute settlement mechanism at its core, so that the BRI will bring a brighter future to the world.

In order to facilitate its Belt and Road Initiative, China has issued dozens of policy documents and detailed guidelines, improved its legal and supervisory systems, and taken full advantage of all existing cooperation mechanisms at the bilateral, regional, sub-regional and multilateral levels.The current cooperation mechanism is characterized by non-systemicity, which makes it dependent upon other existing regional cooperation mechanisms.In fact, it has no uniform institutional structure, nor any dispute settlement mechanism.Although this non-systematic approach is based in China's successful experience in opening up to outside influence and in the flexibility that enabled its rise to global prominence, this very flexibility also poses challenges to the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative by leaving it open to conflict with existing regional cooperation mechanisms.Therefore, to ensure the success of the Belt and Road Initiative, China should undertake a systematic plan for implementation by establishing a comprehensive legal framework; streamlining paths to economic cooperation; and institutionalizing the cooperation mechanism with a formal dispute settlement mechanism at its core.

China's 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative urges the protection of underwater cultural heritage on the Maritime Silk Road, which demands China's effort as much as that of international community. The Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UNESCO Convention) provides an international legal framework for China to protect underwater cultural heritage and facilitate cooperation with other State Parties. China's concerns over ratifying the UNESCO Convention mainly relate to its jurisdiction, ownership and international obligations on the issue, which can be solved with the basic principles and a revision of Chinese laws. China's ratification will ensure the international protection of underwater cultural heritage on the Maritime Silk Road; and more importantly, it will provide an opportunity for the joint development in the South China Sea, thus breaking the bottleneck of the Maritime Silk Road Initiative. Therefore, China should ratify the UNESCO Convention.