China's announcement it would establish a city that will oversee Xisha islands in the South China Sea has been met with public enthusiasm following suggestions that a favorable policy could be introduced to encourage migration.
Prospects of moving to the tropical city set the Internet abuzz over the weekend after an expert said the government could unveil policies for relocating to the newly formed city of Sansha in Hainan, China's southernmost island province.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on Thursday the establishment of Sansha following the approval from the State Council, saying the city will have jurisdiction over the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands and their adjacent waters, covering a total of 2.6 million square kilometers.
The government could unveil policies for relocating residents from elsewhere in China to Sansha as the city devises management of its hukou (household registration), said Li Guoqiang, deputy director of the Chinese Borderland History and Geography Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Many islands in the South China Sea, especially Xisha, are inhabited and its locals will become among the first registered residents of Sansha, Li told China Central Television.
Although authorities have yet to indicate such a plan, many Web users have enthusiastically shown support, saying they welcome such a move to reinforce China's sovereignty over the islands.
Sima Nan, a scholar and TV presenter, posted on his microblog Thursday that he would be happy to give up his Beijing hukou in exchange for a Sansha residence permit.
"I don't want to see China's sovereignty infringed, and I'm glad to hear voices from both top legislators and the public supporting the government's decision," he told the Global Times.
The government's move comes after Vietnam passed a national maritime law on the same day to include the Xisha and Nansha islands within its sovereignty and jurisdiction.
China immediately issued declarations denouncing the law and reaffirmed the country's indisputable sovereignty over the islands.
"Vietnam's action is illegal, invalid and detrimental to peace and stability in the South China Sea," said Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun while summoning Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho.
Although the public remains positive on the relocation prospect, experts have voiced doubts over such a policy and concerns at the impact it could have.
"It's impossible for the government to issue a favorable policy given the limited land capacity of the city," said Ji Qiufeng, a professor of international relations at Nanjing University.
"The government aims to claim China's s sovereignty by setting up the city, but bringing in a large number of residents won't necessarily help maintain local social order," he noted.
Yongxing Island, where the city government seat will be stationed, only has capacity for a village with several thousand people, according to Zhuang Guotu, director of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University.
China should pursue greater economic activity in the sea to reinforce its substantial control over the region, he suggested.
Yang Jingjie contributed to this story