BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) has published China's first regulation on shorelines, requiring that, by 2020, no less than 35 percent of the country's total shoreline should be natural.
The regulation on the protection and utilization of shorelines defines natural shorelines as those formed by land-ocean interactions, such as silt and bedrock shores.
The regulation imposes strict restrictions on the occupation of natural shorelines in construction projects, requiring strict evaluation and approval for projects that must occupy natural shoreline.
Man-made shores should be utilized in a more cost-effective manner, it says.
Calling shorelines the "lifeline" and "goldline" of marine economic development, SOA spokesperson Gao Zhongwen said the regulation will have a positive and far-reaching influence on the protection of the marine environment, sustainable development of the marine economy and the building of marine power.
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