China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) will soon issue regulations on the sale of uninhabited islands.

In a Thursday statement, the SOA said that the laws require that uninhabited islands must be transferred through tender, auction or listing, if they are to be used for businesses such as tourism, entertainment or industry.

Many Chinese coastal provinces are exploring ways to sell uninhabited islands, but there is no unified rules, the SOA said.

A unified national regulation will ensure the transparency and fairness of transactions and help stem corruption in the process, it said.