HobartChina’s 127,000km² Antarctic reserve expires in 20 years.
Beijing’s rule changes mirror ones Russia pushed in 2022 and 2023, which failed to win consensus.
The commission works by consensus, so a single member could veto renewal and let the reserve lapse without a vote.
“The very small area apparently proposed by China also raises significant questions,” said Karen Scott, a University of Canterbury professor.
Nothing takes effect until all 27 members, South Africa included, agree.
How each outlet framed it
- Daily Maverick leans critical
- links China's Cosmonauts Sea reserve dossier to Moscow's long-standing procedural hurdles at CCAMLR, reading Beijing's rule-book push as mirroring Russia's
Sources: Daily Maverick