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China issues plan to revitalise – and potentially commercialise – uninhabited islands

Government document lays out plan for thousands of islets, many of which are rich in minerals and fresh water but have been damaged over time

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Top view of Jiajing Island, an uninhabited small island with white sand beaches and a coral reef, close to the coast of Shimei Bay in the South China Sea. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Ralph Jennings
China has proposed to manage natural resources – including minerals – more comprehensively, focusing on its uninhabited islands and reclaimed land in an apparent effort to benefit local economies through commercialisation.
A document issued by the general offices of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee as well as the State Council, China’s cabinet, called for establishing an uninhabited-island “rights system” and promoting a “unified registration of land rights for natural resources” that includes the unpopulated islets.

The document, called “Opinions on Improving the System for Natural Resource Asset Management” and made public on July 13 by state news agency Xinhua, further proposed to “standardise and efficiently” register real assets for uninhabited island usage rights.

China has more than 11,000 islands, mostly off the southeastern coasts and without resident populations. A 2022 study by Zhejiang University said 94 per cent of islands claimed by China were uninhabited while many had suffered damage due to a lack of protection awareness.

Some of the islets are rich in fisheries, fresh water and minerals.

Chinese officials aim to clarify the legal status of the islands and improve their management system so they can be “commercialised”, said Liang Yan, a professor of economics at Willamette University in the United States.

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