Legislation is being planned to protect the environment of islands that is now threatened by the country's fast economic development and to prevent vested interests from using them to threaten China's sovereignty and national security.

A national island protection and development plan will be ready and several rules and regulations on island management will be enacted in two years, the State Oceanic Administration said at a recent policy symposium that was attended by 16 ministries' representatives.

The regulations will strengthen the management of island development and the right to use uninhabited islands, and protect those earmarked for special purposes, Beijing-based Legal Daily reported.

In recent years, the fast economic development and scarce land resources have prompted many companies to shift their projects to uninhabited islands. This has caused serious damage to the environment.

Since there is no national plan, developers blow up hills and dump wastes on many islands. Many precious islets have been lost forever after some large projects have reclaimed land from the sea.

The situation is getting worse, especially because even a single project has the potential of destroying up to a dozen such islets, the report said.

Seventy-five of the 77 territorial base points that China has declared are islands. But the general lack of protection for these island means there could be hidden dangers for China's security and sovereignty.

Legislation on protection of islands for special purposes is expected to change the prevailing situation under which those used as territorial base points have become vulnerable.

China has more than 6,500 islands along its coast that have an area more than 500 square meters. The number of smaller islands is more than 10,000.

Besides the legislation, China also plans to invest more on infrastructure construction on some of its islands, China News Agency reported on Wednesday.

This will help solve many of the problems faced by the people living on those islands, such as lack of drinking water and electricity, and insufficient communication and transport facilities.

These problems are expected to be solved in a decade, the report said.

(China Daily June 29, 2007)