HAIKOU - China plans to let tourists visit the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea this year, the vice governor of Hainan province, which administers the group of islands, said Tuesday.
"Xisha must be opened for tourism within this year," Tan Li said at a provincial conference addressing tourism on Tuesday.
Tan said that relevant departments are making preparations in accordance with this timetable.
China's State Council in late 2009 announced a guideline to develop the tropical island province of Hainan into a destination for international tourists, and the guideline also outlined that tourism would be promoted on the Xisha Islands.
The Xisha Islands are a cluster of close to 40 islets, sandbanks and reefs.
Earlier this month, a cruise ship owned by the Hainan Strait Shipping Co launched a trial voyage to the islands.
Vietnam claims sovereignty over the Xisha Islands. However, China has reiterated that its sovereignty over the Xisha Islands is indisputable.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349 
