The measure is the first in the country that is devoted specifically to the administration of hundreds of uninhabited Chinese islands, over 6,000 of which boast an area exceeding 500 square meters at high tide.

The ownership of all of China's uninhabited islands belongs undoubtedly to the country, and local oceanographic authorities can only dispense rights for limited use, said Lu Caixia, vice-director of Marine Management Department under the State Oceanographic Administration.

According to Lu, local governments should not only stop auctioning off uninhabited islands, but should also see to recovering those that have been sold off.

Although Lu dismissed the theory that the policy is targeting specific individuals, she said one ultimate goal of the new moves is to improve the protection of those people around the base points of China's territorial waters, "prohibiting activities that might be harmful."

According to the new act, all activities which exploit resources on uninhabited islands should be approved by local oceanographic authorities.

But blasting, which could significantly damage the islands, and the construction of dams connecting various islands which would greatly change the local ecology can only be approved by the administration and the Headquarters of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Lu said.

Lu believed the new policy can help stop the destructive exploitation currently taking place on uninhabited islands, which has become rampant in such areas as East China's Zhejiang Province and South China's Guangdong Province over the past several years.

The enactment of the measure was called for by nearly 100 deputies to the session of the 10th National People's Congress this March, and by many members of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

(China Daily July 2, 2003)