**China Charts Seabed Riches as Japan Hunts Rare Earths**

China has published its first detailed map of chemical elements on the ocean floor. The move comes as Japan accelerates its own efforts to mine valuable deep-sea minerals. The map, released by China's Ministry of Natural Resources, plots the location and concentration of dozens of elements in seabed sediments. It covers the country's eastern waters. The data comes from twenty years of marine surveys. This development highlights a growing international race for seabed resources. Rare earth elements and other minerals found underwater are critical for modern technology. They are used in everything from smartphones to military equipment. Japan, which has significant deep-sea mineral deposits within its waters, is also actively pursuing extraction technologies. Both nations are working to secure their own supplies of these strategically important materials.