China has succeeded in operating its first seawater desalination membrane, making it the fourth country, after only the United States, Japan and South Korea, to own the technology, said an expert with the National Bureau of Oceanography Tuesday.

The production line, run by Hangzhou Development Center of Water Treatment Technology in east China's Zhejiang province, will significantly reduce the seawater treatment cost, said Wang Shougen, deputy director of the center.

According to Wang, the average price of desalted seawater now stands at five yuan (about 0.6 US dollars) per ton, among which a considerable part is for use of the imported membrane. If the Chinese alternative is used, water treatment cost could be reduced by at least 0.2 yuan (about 0.02 US dollars).

The reverse osmosis membrane has been the dominant technology worldwide for desalination ever since the United States developed it for more than 40 years ago.

Wang said his center will focus further on the anti-pollution and antioxidant membrane to protect water resources.

With a population of about 1.3 billion, China has suffered a serious water shortage especially in the northern and northwestern regions. In recent years, China has adopted a series of measures, including building reservoirs and diverting water from the water abundant south to water-hungry north, to resolve the shortage.