Biz Unusual

Owning a private island is far from a dream

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-02 15:10

Some people with island-exploring experience have also been frustrated by the seemingly attractive opportunities.

Zhou Dewen, who has invested in tourism on a well-equipped island in Wenzhou, found that developing the island was both costly and risky.

"With frequent typhoons in the summer and cold snaps in the winter, I can hardly earn any money," Zhou complains.

Xia Xiaoming, a researcher with the Second Institute of Oceanography of the SOA, says that large companies have more advantages in developing uninhabited islands.

"They are capable of providing sufficient capital and human resources," Xia says.

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Ni Dingkang, deputy director of the Maritime Space Office of the Zhoushan Ocean and Fishery Bureau, says that clean water, electricity, and transportation are the three keys to successful island development.

"Investment in infrastructure is only the first step of the whole project. More capital is needed for further development," Ni says.

The results of an island census conducted by the SOA were released this past February. The results showed that the country has more than 10,000 islands, with the number of uninhabited islands accounting for 95 percent of the total.

"This suggests that China's uninhabited island development has a lot of potential," Xia says. "If the first group of developed islands are profitable, more and more uninhabited islands will be developed in the future."

However, there are still even more problems that ambitious investors have to face, even after development is completed. Developed islands are like small societies. Security and safety issues can still emerge after development, according to Xia.

Uninhabited island development has also aroused public concerns about environmental protection.

"Any kind of development can bring in some direct or indirect influences," says Gu Zijiang, marine planning director at the Zhejiang provincial ocean and fishery bureau.

"It is not necessarily a perfect dream for these enthusiastic investors," Ni warns. "They should make a solid blueprint before investing in these islands."