A detailed blueprint for the exploration of Hengqin Island in Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, will come out in the first half year, said a senior Guangdong official in Macao Monday.

"The development of the island is an important part in the cooperation and economic integration of the Pan-Pearl River Delta," Tang Bingquan, vice-governor of Guangdong, said when attending the Portugal, Guangdong, Macao Economic Cooperation Forum 2005 held in Macao on Monday.

Hengqin Island, the biggest among 146 islands in Zhuhai, is adjacent to the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), which exercises the Chinese principle of "one country, two systems." It is generally anticipated that the island can be jointly developed by using the respective advantages from both sides.

The Guangdong Provincial Government reached a consensus with Hong Kong and Macao in designating the island development as the province's priority project for overseas investment in 1992. According to the concerned objective, the 86-square km island, which triples the land coverage of Macao, is expected to be turned into a tourist resort island and accommodate some environmentally friend industries.

Source: Xinhua