BEIJING -- A Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that China's seabed exploration activities will help the country to further understand and utilize international seabed resources and serve the common interests of mankind.

"(The activities) will be conducive to improving scientific knowledge of deep sea resources and effectively protecting the seabed environment", said spokesman Ma Zhaoxu.

Ma made the remarks in a reply to a reporter's question about the recent approval China received from the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the international seabed regulatory body, for its application for exploratory work in international deep seabed areas.

The ISA Council approved the application on July 19, permitting China to search for polymetallic sulphides, a type of mineral resource, in an international deep seabed area located in the southwest Indian Ocean. The application was submitted by the China Ocean Minerals Resource Research and Development Association (COMRA).

The approval of the application means that the COMRA has exclusive exploratory rights for polymetallic sulphides in the area, as well as priority mining rights for future development programs, according to the spokesman.

"According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, international seabed areas and their resources are the commonly inherited property of mankind", Ma added.

The COMRA filed the application in May 2010 with a guarantee from the Chinese government.