Sea areas authorized by the Chinese government for enclosures and land reclamation projects now cover 540 square kilometers, 134 square kilometers of which were certified last year, the China News Service reported on Friday.

Wang Dianchang, a senior official with the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), said that the majority of coastal provinces in China have laid out similar projects in their development plans up through 2010.

China has earmarked the areas primarily for the country's key industrial projects, such as ports, wharves, power plants, and steel factories, while limiting sea area use to industries that the country aims to gradually phase out, He Dong, another official of the SOA, said.

He said the government will continue to strictly control its approval for sea area use in order to prevent overexpansion of land reclamation projects.

Rapid economic growth in coastal areas inevitably brought about land shortages, prompting a demand for land reclamation. Early reports say such activities have caused great damage to the ocean environment.

A regulation issued by the government in October 2006 regarding the protection of marine environments from construction pollution stipulates that projects involving sea enclosures and land reclamation will not be approved unless hearings are held and the projects are thoroughly discussed.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2008)