China's unexpected attack on Chile over the headquarters of the High Seas Treaty, days before Kast's visit

The announcement passed relatively unnoticed last Friday. That day, the Foreign Ministry reported that Chile and Belgium had decided to join their bids to host the Secretariat of the High Seas Treaty, in a formula that contemplates installing it in Valparaíso and establishing in Brussels the physical and technical infrastructure of the information exchange mechanism. The bid has been actively promoted by President José Antonio Kast and Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, who during various international trips have carried out efforts to secure backing for the Chilean candidacy. Criticism of the formula arrived right on the eve of the presidential trip: just days before Kast lands in Shenzhen to participate in APEC, Beijing launched harsh recriminations against the alliance agreed between Valparaíso and Brussels. It was Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning who publicly questioned the formula this Thursday. In a statement —reproduced in that country's state press— that listed six objections, she accused both countries of having unilaterally disposed of matters that, in her view, must be resolved by all the states that adhere to the treaty. One of the central criticisms concerns the rules of the competition for the headquarters. China maintains that the location of the secretariat and the installation of the information exchange mechanism are distinct matters, which must be subject to separate collective decisions. For that reason, it reproached Chile and Belgium for having linked both matters in order to pressure other countries into accepting the proposal as a package. Mao Ning described the formula as a kind of "hijacking" of the states parties. But the harshest accusation was geopolitical in nature. The spokesperson argued that both governments are politicizing the race for the headquarters and transferring to it the disputes between blocs of global influence. According to her, the bid should respond to a "fair, friendly and healthy" competition, and not to political considerations that, in her view, contradict the spirit of multilateralism. Beijing also questioned the geographic distribution of the functions. It argued that most major international organizations are already concentrated in Europe and that none of them is located in Asia. Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. To this was added a direct reproach of Santiago. According to Mao Ning, Chile had originally presented its candidacy on behalf of the "global south," but now, by leaving part of the infrastructure associated with the organization's operation in Brussels, it would not be assuming all the substantive functions of the secretariat. She also questioned the fact that both structures would operate on different continents, which, she argued, would raise costs and affect the organization's efficiency. The background is that China also has direct interests in this dispute. At the beginning of this year, it nominated the city of Xiamen to host the secretariat and, in the words of its spokesperson, "obtained in a short time the backing of the majority of the states parties to the agreement." From the Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, they reject that the formula implies splitting the secretariat and maintain that the goal is to add capacities to strengthen its operation. "Chile and Belgium do not propose to divide the Secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement, but rather to unite capacities to strengthen it," they state. Along those lines, they argue that a headquarters in the south, backed by complementary infrastructure and capacities in Europe, can offer an efficient, inclusive institutional solution of global reach, at the service of all states parties. Regarding the distribution of functions, they explain that Brussels could be used for technical meetings of the committees contemplated in the treaty, just like Valparaíso, where the secretariat will also have infrastructure for that purpose, as determined by the Conference of the Parties (COP1) next January, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they add that the alliance responds to the shared vision of both countries on the protection of the oceans and to their joint work to promote transparent and inclusive governance, ahead of the first conference of the parties of the Agreement. The episode adds a new element to a visit that will be marked by several pending issues in the bilateral relationship. In Shenzhen, Kast will hold a meeting with President Xi Jinping, at a time when issues such as the Chinese submarine cable project and the end of the diplomatic mission of Beijing's ambassador in Santiago, Niu Qingbao, at the end of this month, remain unresolved. On the eve of the trip Kast will embark on this Friday, at La Moneda the possibility of adjusting the tour and even suspending it was on the table, due to the crisis in the Ministry of Justice and the truck drivers' strike. Finally, the Executive's decision was to maintain the original itinerary, despite the calls from the PDG and sectors of the left for Kast to remain in Chile. The delegation accompanying the President will include, among others, Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna; the Minister of Economy and Mining, Daniel Mas; the Minister of Agriculture, Jaime Campos; the Undersecretary of Energy, Hugo Briones, and the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Paula Estévez. They will be joined by the mayor of Valparaíso, Camila Nieto, whose participation is aimed precisely at reinforcing the efforts for the city to be chosen as the seat of the Secretariat of the High Seas Treaty. In parallel, and outside the official delegation, business representatives will also travel to China, where they will participate in a new edition of Chile Week. Are you already a subscriber? Log in. This article is exclusive to subscribers. Subscribe to read it in full and access all our journalism. See plans.