China to launch survey on its islands

BEIJING - A national survey on the resources of China's territorial islands will be launched this year, according to a national conference on maritime affairs Thursday.

The survey, the second of its kind, will determine unspecified base points and baselines of the country's territorial waters around the islands, a circular issued at the conference said.

It will also monitor the geological features of the country's important islands, including the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea, the circular said.

The distribution, quantity and quality of the islands' resources and the development potentials of such resources, as well as the islands' major environmental and ecological conditions will also be investigated in the survey, the document said.

The survey will cover the sea areas around some important islands, including the terrain beneath the waters and the hydrological conditions in these areas.

Another aim of the survey is to obtain knowledge of the status quo and existing difficulties of the islands' economic and social development.

Information collected via the survey will be used to form a database of the country's islands and will provide references for policies regarding the islands' development, protection and administration, the document said.

It is also needed for China to formulate the strategic blueprint for maritime development and social construction on the islands in the 13th Five Year Plan (2016-2020).

The survey will start in the first half of the year and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016, the circular added.