In July 2014, the PRC announced an investment plan of 18 million yuan (about 2.92 million U.S. dollars) that "will be used to build desalination systems and grow trees on Xishazhou Island in the hope of turning the island into a new oasis".[4] In April 2017, Xinhua published pictures of the current state of the forestation project, with trees going on most of the island.[5]