China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Tuesday released its first list of the country's uninhabited islands available for development by enterprises or individuals.

A bird's-eye view of desert islands in the South China Sea. [File photo/China Daily]

A total of 176 islands in seven coastal provinces and one autonomous region are open for the public to develop. Tourism, transportation, manufacturing, fishing, agriculture, forestry, construction, are some of the sectors that can be developed, according to the administration.

The islands are scattered off the coasts of Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan. Guangdong and Fujian top the list with 60 and 50 such islands, respectively.

"Any corporation and individual can apply to tap these uninhabited islands as long as they have appropriate development plans and use the islands for the stipulated purposes," said Lu Caixia, director of the SOA's island management office.

Applications from foreign enterprises or individuals should be submitted to the State Council, or China's Cabinet, for approval, Lu said.

Enterprises or individuals whose plans are approved could get a maximum of 50 years of development and utilization rights on an island, according to the official.

The developers must strictly follow government regulations which cover the limit of island buildings' height, waste processing, waste emissions, among others.

Meanwhile, strict inspection and regulation measures will be put in place to ensure orderly development of these islands, according to the SOA.

China's Law on Island Protection took effect on March 1, 2010, which aims to improve island protection and the management of uninhabited islands.

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