Individuals and organizations, both domestic and foreign, should soon be able to gain easier access to more than 500 uninhabited islands near the city of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province.

But any foreign investment would have to be approved by the State Council, a source told China Daily yesterday.

Zhou Keqin, vice director of the Ningbo Municipal Ocean and Fishery Bureau, said a new regulation has been drafted that further defines and standardizes the approval procedures of applying for managerial control over the islands. The draft has been published to solicit public comment.

Under the regulation, an individual or group will be allowed to acquire control over an island for up to 50 years. They can also apply for naming rights.

Those applying for the use of the islands are required to produce a written application, an identity or corporation certificate, an overall layout blueprint, an environmental protection plan, an environmental impact study and a report showing their ability to develop and manage the location.

According to Zhou, investors are welcome to construct ecological resorts, ports and warehouses and to extract resources.

The government will hold public biddings and auctions if an island is to be used for commercial purposes. There will be no such procedures if an island is to be used as a private residence.

"Being the user of the island does not mean that you can own the whole island," said Zhou.

"Some areas of these islands, especially the woods, belong to the villagers living nearby. They are not supposed to be developed for any other use."

People who destroy the environment on the islands or use them for illegal purposes will be subject to fines ranging from 30,000 yuan (US$3,600) to 300,000 yuan (US$36,000), the regulation states.

Ningbo's ocean and fishery bureau reports that there are about 560 uninhabited islands that are larger than 500 square meters off the city's southeastern coast. Dozens have already been developed following national guidelines.

The new regulation focuses on reducing the number of intermediate links in the application process. The county government subordinate to Ningbo will conduct application reviews and approvals.

But where larger islands or those with nature preservation zones are concerned, applications must be approved by the municipal government, Zhu said.

Currently, applications examined primarily in light of the national Protection and Utilization Regulations for Uninhabited Islands, which became effective at the start of July last year.

The city regulation will be handed to the Ningbo Municipal People's Congress in May and then to the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress for approval.

(China Daily March 1, 2004)