A southern Chinese province’s plan to offer visa-free tourism could lead some visitors to explore the disputed South China Sea.Hainan, an island province, plans to allow visa-free travel to visitors from 59 countries beginning May 1, state-run media reports. The travelers will be allowed to stay for up to 30 days. Some experts who study the area say the visa decision has opened the door for visitors seeking to visit the South China Sea.

Zhao Xijun is with the School of Finance at Renmin University of China. He says some tourists might be interested to set foot on Chinese-claimed islands and reefs southeast of Hainan. The area is home to the Paracels, a group of islands controlled by China, but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

“This is something for the future. It’s not just for outside visitors, but domestic travelers also will try hard in this direction,” Zhao said.

Collin Koh is a security researcher at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He says opening the Paracels to foreign travelers could also help China politically. It could be a way for China to support its sovereignty claims and show that it controls administration activities in the area, he said.

Aliqismet BADALOV,

“Khalq qazeti”