China adopts law on deep sea exploration

BEIJING: China on Friday adopted a new law on deep sea exploration, state media said, the country’s latest move to cement its status as a seagoing power.

President Xi Jinping is reforming the military and investing in submarines and aircraft carriers, as China’s navy becomes more assertive in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas.

The new law will "protect the rightful interests of Chinese citizens and organisations in their search for resources and in deep sea surveys," the official Xinhua news agency said after China’s top legislature passed the measure.