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 traction online, with skeptics arguing that the move is unnecessary and would cause lengthy administrative 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 provincial political advisers 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 awareness of the South China Sea and that China has indisputable sovereignty over the region, Wei noted.
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。