By Focus and AFP | 2025-11-11

A Chinese research vessel previously associated with potential naval interests and military data collection is currently sailing through and conducting seabed surveys within the Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as part of a government-approved collaborative research mission.

The ship, the Da Yang Hao, is part of a government-endorsed marine scientific partnership with the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA), the agency responsible for regulating seabed mineral activities.

SBMA said the mission aims to map the ocean floor and gather samples to strengthen local research capacity. "Our team is actively participating in all activities to build our knowledge and capability in marine research," an SBMA spokesperson said.

Rich in vital minerals

Huge stretches of seabed surrounding the Cook Islands are rich in polymetallic nodules containing cobalt, nickel and manganese. These are critical minerals sought after for electric vehicles, renewable energy and defense technologies. The country, which claims one of the world's largest such deposits, signed a deep-sea mining cooperation agreement with China earlier this year.

With global supplies of these minerals exposed to trade tensions, both China and the United States have increased their interest in the Cook Islands' nascent deep-sea mining sector. Washington signed its own agreement in August to pursue seabed research with the Pacific nation.

The Da Yang Hao's arrival comes less than a month after a separate deep-sea expedition supported by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which explored the Cook Islands' deep-sea habitats aboard the research vessel Nautilus.

Suspicious Chinese research

The latest collaboration coincides with rising scrutiny of China's maritime research activities. Scientific data collected by Chinese vessels, including the Da Yang Hao, may support Beijing's naval operations, The New York Times reported in July.

Such data could help plan Chinese submarine routes or track stealthier US submarines across the Pacific.

In 2021, Palau accused the same vessel of entering its EEZ without permission.

The Cook Islands government is aware of such reports, SBMA commissioner Beverly Stacey-Ataera told Cook Islands News in November.

"All marine research undertaken in Cook Islands waters is subject to government approval processes," she said. "We're aware of the reports you referenced and have reviewed them carefully."

While China's Ocean Mineral Resources Research Association, which operates the Da Yang Hao, insists its work is scientific, analysts and environmentalists remain cautious.

Vessels' ties to Chinese military

Many Chinese research vessels are run by state-affiliated institutions with military ties, and the data they collect on deep-sea currents and terrain "can be used for both commercial mining and military purposes, such as submarine navigation," said local environment group Te Ipukarea Society in September.

Tracking data show Chinese research ships operating in waters considered strategically vital by Beijing, including areas off Taiwan's east coast and near Guam. According to Starboard Maritime Intelligence, which has offices in New Zealand and Washington, these vessels often move in parallel lines or tight grids, patterns that analysts say suggest methodical seabed mapping that could aid military operations.

In February 2024, the Da Yang Hao traced a series of parallel routes along Taiwan's east coast over five days, part of what analysts describe as a broader Chinese effort to chart the Pacific seafloor for both scientific and strategic purposes.