Washington wants to lead efforts to scoop up mineral-rich deep-sea nodules and other material from the seabed, sidestepping an international regulatory effort and overriding the concerns of environmentalists.

White House aides say it could pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the American economy, and counter Beijing's chokehold on key minerals.

But it would also undermine decades of efforts by global regulators at the International Seabed Authority to devise a level playing field and environmental protections for the industry.

The United States never ratified the agreements that empower the ISA's jurisdiction over seabeds in international waters, and is not a member of the UN-affiliated body.

Instead, the Trump administration is "relying on an obscure 1980 law that empowers the federal government to issue seabed mining permits in international waters," the New York Times reported.

The ISA did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Trump's order gives the secretary of commerce 60 days to "expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction."

The move sparked anger in Beijing, which holds more exploration licences than any other country but has held off mining awaiting the ISA's rules.

"No country should bypass the International Seabed Authority and international law and arbitrarily authorise exploration and development activities," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in response to a question from AFP.

"The US authorisation of exploration and exploitation of mineral resources on its so-called outer continental shelf violates international law and harms the overall interests of the international community."

- 'Environmental disaster' -

Commercial deep-sea mining remains in its infancy, but with a global race underway for rare earth minerals -- and the industry dominated by China -- Washington appears set on expanding its collection capacity to benefit its defense, advanced manufacturing and energy industries.

Environmental groups warn the process can cause major ecological damage.

"Fast-tracking deep-sea mining is an environmental disaster in the making," Emily Jeffers, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

"Trump is trying to open one of Earth's most fragile and least understood ecosystems to reckless industrial exploitation."

The boosted deep-sea mining policy is aimed in part at "strengthening partnerships with allies and industry to counter China's growing influence over seabed mineral resources," the White House said.

The ISA is scrambling to devise a rulebook for deep-sea mining, balancing its economic potential against warnings of irreversible environmental damage.

Last week, the American firm Impossible Metals said it had asked US officials to "commence a leasing process" in a parcel of the Pacific Ocean surrounding far-flung US territory American Samoa.

That would be within US jurisdiction, rather than international waters.

However, Canada-based deep-sea mining frontrunner The Metals Company recently stunned industry observers by abruptly announcing it would seek US approval to mine in international waters.

Its CEO Gerard Barron lauded Trump's order Thursday.

"By building on decades of domestic innovation and regulatory groundwork, this action reasserts America's role in securing critical seabed resources and ensures the US is not left behind in a strategic arena increasingly influenced by China," Barron said in a statement.

Key seabed resources include polymetallic nodules: potato-sized pebbles found at depths of 13,000 to 20,000 feet (4,000 to 6,000 meters) that contain manganese, iron, cobalt, copper and nickel.

A senior administration official told reporters shortly before the signing that the United States could retrieve more than a billion metric tons of material, and the process could create an estimated 100,000 jobs and generate $300 billion in domestic GDP over 10 years.

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