US plans deep-sea mining leases near Mariana Trench

The Marine Mineral Administration has released a plan to lease millions of hectares of Pacific seabed near the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam for critical mineral extraction, drawing immediate opposition from those US territories. The move is part of a broader race with China for control of deep-sea mineral resources. Pacific island governments argue the plan threatens fragile ecosystems they were never meaningfully consulted on.