Give the marine biodiversity treaty a home that can deliver

International agreements are often celebrated when they are signed, and tested when it comes to implementing them. So it is with the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). To make its commitments work, where its Secretariat will be based matters considerably. In this context, Xiamen, Fujian province, deserves serious consideration.

At the opening of the 2026 Global Governance Forum in Xiong'an, Hebei province, on Oct 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced China's full support for Xiamen's bid to house the BBNJ Secretariat.

The Secretariat should facilitate negotiations, support scientific cooperation, manage information-sharing mechanisms and help ensure that developing countries can participate meaningfully in the agreement's implementation. Its effectiveness will depend not only on its formal mandate, but also on the resources, infrastructure and institutional environment available to it. On these practical considerations, Xiamen has much to offer.

An important link on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the city has developed into an international commercial and shipping hub with an established tradition of openness. Its 265-kilometer coastline and long experience in integrated coastal-zone management give it a particularly relevant relationship with the remit of the BBNJ Agreement.

Xiamen's blue economy accounts for 30 percent of its GDP. The city brings together nearly 5,000 marine scientists and 30 research and development platforms, while more than 1,000 new patents originating there have been approved since 2020. Its universities and research institutions participate in international marine science networks, including the Global Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions program, which involves 104 research institutions from 35 countries.

To ensure the Secretariat's operational readiness, Xiamen has prepared a state-of-the-art and modern office building in a premium location and reserved space to meet its future needs. In addition, the Chinese government promises to offer all-round preferential treatment and support for the operation of the Secretariat and the parties' involvement in BBNJ-related work.

China has pledged operational assistance and financial contributions to the BBNJ voluntary trust fund and its special funds, and visa facilitation for Secretariat officials, their families and delegates. It has committed to concluding a headquarters agreement to provide the legal capacity, privileges and immunity necessary for the Secretariat to perform its functions.

China has considerable experience participating in the United Nations system and other international organizations. Its presidency of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity helped facilitate the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The country was among the first countries to become party to the agreement that came into force on Jan 17.

China's support for the BBNJ Secretariat extends its engagement on marine biodiversity conservation from participating in the international negotiations on state commitments to helping build the machinery needed to implement them.

Developing countries, particularly small island states and those with limited scientific and financial resources, should not find that an agreement intended to protect a common global resource is beyond their capacity to participate in. China's proposed contributions to the treaty's funding mechanisms, together with Xiamen's scientific and logistical resources, could help make participation more inclusive and cooperation more practical.

The BBNJ Agreement needs an institutional home that reflects the universality of its mission. Xiamen offers a combination of maritime experience, scientific capacity, international connectivity and concrete institutional support. Selecting it would give the Secretariat a prepared base from which to begin its work and develop over time. More fundamentally, it would demonstrate that multilateralism is not sustained by declarations alone. It requires countries willing to put facilities, expertise, funding and administrative capacity behind shared commitments.