New Hainan port opens as annual fishing ban ends

China opened a large fishing port, the closest one to the Nansha Islands, on Monday to handle fishing vessels working in the South China Sea.

Local authorities and thousands of people held a traditional ceremony to celebrate the opening of the port at Yazhou, about 50 kilometers west of Sanya in Hainan province.

Monday also marked the end of the annual fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea, which started on May 16.