The provincial legislature of Hainan on Tuesday ratified a motion to prepare for the first people's congress in the newly established Sansha city. [Xinhua]

The provincial legislature of Hainan on Tuesday ratified a motion to prepare for the first people's congress in the newly established Sansha city.

Sansha became a prefecture-level city in June. It administers over 200 islets, sandbanks and reefs in Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands, covering 13 square kilometers in island area and 2 million square kilometers of water.

The Sansha people's congress, the legislative body of the city, will have 60 delegates directly elected, and its Standing Committee will have 15 members.

The government seat of Sansha will be stationed on Yongxing Island, part of the Xisha Islands.

The founding of Sansha city will improve China's management of the region and help coordinate efforts to develop the islands and protect the marine environment, said Zhao Zhongshe, director of the Hainan provincial Department of Ocean and Fisheries.

China said it first discovered and named the reefs, islets and surrounding waters of Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands. In 1959, it became the first country to set up an administrative office to exercise sovereignty over the area.