Chinese city to implement regulations on uninhabited island reclamation

GUANGZHOU -- Zhuhai, a city in south China's Guangdong province, will put into effect trailblazing regulations guiding the development of uninhabited islands.

The two regulations, hailed as the first local-level legislations on the Chinese mainland to stipulate basic procedures for developing an uninhabited island, will come into effect Wednesday.

Zhuhai is one of the first four special economic zones (SEZs) set up in 1980, with the mission to spearhead China's reform and opening-up drive. The other three SEZs are Shenzhen, Xiamen, Shantou. The four SEZs were all granted with legislative power in 1990s, aiming at boosting the development.

The city's natural resources bureau said the regulations were not meant to facilitate private purchase of islands, but focus on environmental conservation, tourism and other development for the public interest.

An official with the city's legislature also told Xinhua the regulations will offer legal guidance to future island development by specifying supervisors and application procedures.

Known as "the city of a hundred islands," Zhuhai has 262 islands and islets, only 10 of which have permanent residents.