Zhejiang opens uninhabited islands to private developers
Individuals could apply for the right to use uninhabited islands in Zhejiang Province for business development, with the longest possible lease 50 years, according to new local regulations formally implemented on Saturday.
Among the 2,639 uninhabited islands in Zhejiang Province, 31 are listed in the first published batch of 176 usable uninhabited islands nationwide, said Liu Xiangdong, an inspector with the Zhejiang Province Ocean and Fisheries Bureau at a press conference on Thursday.
The islands can be used for purposes from tourism to industry. Individuals could choose one from the 31 islands and submit an application including a concrete development plan to the county-level maritime authorities, Liu said.
After receiving an application, the authorities will publish the applicant’s name, the island involved, and the development plans to the public. They should also look for comments and receive approval from county-level governments, provincial maritime authorities and the provincial government, he said.
A bidding process will determine who gets the islands. If these islands have not been developed within three years, their rights could be withdrawn by the provincial government.
“The regulation is worth promoting nationwide,” Dong Liming, a vice director-general at the China Land Science Society, told the Global Times Friday. “With individuals working on the inhabited islands, our maritime economy could be developed and national defense could be strengthened.”