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China to enact laws to protect over 6,000 uninhabited islands
Beijing, June 30: China, which claims sovereignty over more than 6,000 islands, will enact new laws for the first time to protect its territory.
Beijing, June 30: China, which claims sovereignty over more than 6,000 islands, will enact new laws for the first time to protect its territory.
China's first national administrative regulation on uninhabited islands will be enacted tomorrow, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.
China has more than 6,000 islands each with an area larger than 500 square meters, of which 94 per cent are uninhabited.
The regulation was jointly issued by SOA, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Headquarters of the General Staff of Chinese People's Liberation Army on June 17 this year. The regulation lays out strict measures on protection of uninhabited islands around the base points of China's territorial waters and prohibits activities that might damage the islands.
It says uninhabited islands belong to the nation, and organisations and individuals must apply for approval if they want to use the islands.
An SOA official said China's island administration had been relatively weak and disorderly exploitation of uninhabited islands had caused worsening damage to natural resources and the environment. "The issuing and enacting of the regulation is a very good reinforcement of china's existing oceanic laws and will be conducive to maintaining order of uninhabited island exploitation, protecting the ocean environment, and safeguarding China's national interests," said the official.
China and a number of Asean countries have disputes over the sovereignty of a number of islands in the South China Sea which Beijing claims as its own since ancient times.
Bureau Report
China has more than 6,000 islands each with an area larger than 500 square meters, of which 94 per cent are uninhabited.
The regulation was jointly issued by SOA, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Headquarters of the General Staff of Chinese People's Liberation Army on June 17 this year. The regulation lays out strict measures on protection of uninhabited islands around the base points of China's territorial waters and prohibits activities that might damage the islands.
It says uninhabited islands belong to the nation, and organisations and individuals must apply for approval if they want to use the islands.
An SOA official said China's island administration had been relatively weak and disorderly exploitation of uninhabited islands had caused worsening damage to natural resources and the environment. "The issuing and enacting of the regulation is a very good reinforcement of china's existing oceanic laws and will be conducive to maintaining order of uninhabited island exploitation, protecting the ocean environment, and safeguarding China's national interests," said the official.
China and a number of Asean countries have disputes over the sovereignty of a number of islands in the South China Sea which Beijing claims as its own since ancient times.
Bureau Report