South China's Hainan Province is to resume land leasing and real estate development approval in the near future, a senior provincial official said today.

During the two-month suspension of approving new real estate projects, the Hainan government issued regulations on land leasing and real estate transactions and made the market more transparent, effectively curbing speculation on the housing market, said Jiang Sixian, vice governor of Hainan.

"Now we are making preparations to accept applications for land acquisition and to restart examining and approving new real estate projects," he said.

Jiang did not specify the date for the resumption.

The suspension policy was adopted on Jan. 15 to contain the soaring housing prices after the State Council approved a plan to build Hainan into an "international tourism island" on Dec. 31, 2009.

Prices kept hiking during the suspension. In February, housing prices on average grew by 56 percent in provincial capital Haikou and major resort city Sanya, according to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics.

"Hainan's real estate industry relies heavily on outside investment and is comparatively more liable to fluctuate. The government will focus on regulating land leasing and developing affordable apartments," Jiang added.