In December 2017, the Xinhua news agency reported a plan drawn up by the State Oceanic Administration and China's National Development and Reform Commission. It foresaw roughly 100 desalination projects, new or expanded, across 16 coastal provinces and cities. Within three to five years, daily capacity was to grow by 600,000 tonnes from a base of 135,700 tonnes. By 2020, desalinated seawater was meant to become the leading source for islands facing acute shortages. Over half of the 489 inhabited islands relied on pipelines or shipments by boat.
The report showed China targeting desalination as a supply route for remote islands, aiming to multiply its existing capacity more than five times over.
Source: Xinhua