The Mainland Affairs Council's plan to establish a special economic zone on Kinmen is highly welcomed, New Party Legislator Wu Cheng-dian (
Wu, who represents Kinmen, said the special economic-zone plan, devised by the council, would be a big boost to the former military stronghold and its residents.
Wu said Kinmen is now ready to play host to a special economic zone, two years after the council opened the "small three links" to allow direct trade, postal and shipping links between Kinmen and Matsu, and the Fuzhou and Xiamen ports in China.
Many China-based Taiwanese businesspeople, who have used the "small three links" channel to travel back to Taiwan, have also discovered the convenience that Kinmen offers to the business and industrial sectors across the Taiwan Strait, Wu said.
He said that in addition to the proposed economic zone, Kinmen is also preparing to upgrade and expand its function as a point between Taiwan and China where goods can be deposited and stored, and from where it can later be distributed to markets in both countries.
Programs on the drawing board include the establishment of a school catering to Taiwanese businesspeople's children, and an increase in the regular ferry service between Kinmen and Xiamen and between Kinmen and Fuzhou, Wu said.
He said that the Kinmen County Government is also aggressively talking with Taipei Veterans General Hospital in the hope that the prestigious medical teaching center will set up a hospital in Kinmen, mainly to serve China-based Taiwanese businesspeople.
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