China's southernmost city started to provide online registration services for companies on Monday.

Companies can also register in Sansha city and operate in other places, given the limited land areas of the city, to more easily take part in the economic development of the city, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Sansha, home to about 1,000 residents, was set up in July last year to administer about 2.6-million-square-km of islands, coastal areas and territorial seas in the South China Sea.

Besides Sansha, five other cities in Hainan province, including the capital Haikou, also started to allow online registration services for companies on Monday, which are expected to improve efficiency for government to serve companies, according to the provincial industry and commercial bureau.