South China's island province of Hainan should be renamed "Nanhai" Province, meaning "South China Sea" in Putonghua, suggested a former tourism official, which would highlight China's sovereignty over the vast region.

近日，一名国家旅游局前任官员建议，将中国南方岛屿省份海南省更名为南海省（普通话中意为“中国南海”），这样就能够突出显示中国对该广大地区的主权。

"The current name 'Hainan' only refers to the island, while 'Nanhai' would fully represent the vastness of the region, which includes over 2 million square kilometers of water," Wei Xiao'an, secretary-general of the China Tourism Leisure Association, told the Global Times

中国旅游协会休闲度假分会秘书长魏小安在接受《环球时报》采访时表示：“目前'海南'这个名字仅仅指海南岛，而'南海'则可以完全代表该200万平方公里海域的广阔地区。”

Wei's comments come after an article he published in 2015 was recently reposted and has gained traction¹ online, with skeptics arguing that the move is unnecessary and would cause lengthy² administrative³ procedures.

在魏小安做出这番评论之前，他在2015年出版的一篇文章最近又被重新报道了，并且在网上吸引了极大的关注，而持怀疑态度的人则认为此举没有必要，并且将会导致冗长的行政程序。

Separately, three provincial⁴ political advisers⁵ from Hainan submitted a proposal to rename the province "Nanhai" at a meeting attended by members of Hainan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in January this year, news portal ce.cn reported.

据新闻门户网站中国经济网报道，在今年一月的中国人民政治协商会议海南省委员会的一场会议上，三位海南省政治顾问提交了一份议案，提议将海南更名为“南海”。

They also suggested that Hainan should invite experts and officials to conduct a thorough feasibility study and draft a plan on the renaming "in view of the national interest," said the report.

该报道称，他们还建议，鉴于国家利益，海南省应该邀请专家和官员进行深入的可行性研究、然后起草更名的计划。

"Nanhai" could also help strengthen people's awareness⁶ of the South China Sea and that China has indisputable sovereignty over the region, Wei noted⁷.

魏小安指出，“南海”这个名字也能够帮助加强人民对南海的意识，认识到中国对该地区拥有无可争议的主权。