The Chinese government has named Pingtan in the south an International Tourism Island in a bid to attract more overseas visitors.

It is China's second International Tourism Island after the southermost province, Hainan. Pingtan is located south of the Minjiang River. It's the nearest mainland island to Taiwan. Pingtan is Fujian province's largest island, covering 309 square kilometers. It's also the fifth-largest in China.

Central authorities have called on the local government to develop new island tourism modules to improve cross-strait culture exchanges. The National Development and Reform Commission will be responsible for the island's development.