Hopes high for lease of uninhabited islands

SHANGHAI - With the release of a list of unoccupied isles at the end of this month, private citizens and companies will be able to rent and reclaim uninhabited islands off the coast of East China's Zhejiang province.

Even foreigners and overseas companies will face no legal barriers to using the unoccupied islands - most of which are the size of a soccer field, officials said.

The first batch of islands to be leased will include about 30 uninhabited islands situated in coastal areas near Ningbo, Wenzhou, Zhoushan and Taizhou, an official with the Zhejiang provincial ocean and fisheries bureau told China Daily on the condition of being anonymous.