IMO’s Marine Environmental Regulatory Governance and China’s Role: An Empirical Study of China’s Submissions

Jiayu Bai,Xiaoyu Li

doi:10.3390/su131810243

Abstract

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) plays a significant role in global marine environmental governance, providing a forum of regulatory oversight for member states. Member states are the main actors of the IMO and exert considerable influence on the process of lawmaking. Among these member states, China is unique due to its multiple identities. There are various factors influencing interests behind China’s multiple identities, which fully engage the country in various shipping and maritime trade activities. This article examines China’s role in the IMO marine environmental regulatory governance. It identifies the impact of China on global ocean governance and indicates the development and reforms in the global governance system. China enacted the China Ocean Agenda 21 for its strategy of ocean development. Thus, China is the object of study in this examination of empirical research that collects submissions from 2001 to 2020 related to marine environmental governance. The findings reveal that the extent to which China participates in such governance has considerably increased, and although the contribution of China’s submissions is still in development, its role in the IMO is no longer merely that of a follower, and the efforts of the country have had a positive influence on the IMO’s marine environmental regulatory governance, including its legal instruments.

Highlights

Shipping accounts for nearly 75% of international trade by volume [1]
It shows that the number of submissions by China presents a periodical tendency with four phases
There is an interaction between the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and member states in the marine environmental regulatory governance

Summary

Introduction

The marine environment is deeply affected by shipping activities, in particular, vessel-source pollution [2]. Two types of vessel-source pollution affect the marine environment, voluntary and accidental. The report indicated that joint efforts by states and international organizations mitigated pollution from traditional vessel sources to a certain extent, including accidental spills and waste dumping. The adoption of domestic policy is one of the factors influencing China’s functions in the IMO’s marine environmental regulatory governance. During the period of the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001–2005), China’s ocean governance highlighted national interests concerning the areas of resource management, protection, and technical development. China stressed economic development but did not pay a lot of attention to the engagement in global marine environmental governance. The number of submissions was low during this period, and China’s marine environmental governance was in its gestational stage

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Conclusion