Kinmen County Commissioner Li Wo-shi (李沃士) has proposed allowing the archipelago to be developed into “duty-free islands” to boost tourism and the local economy.
Li, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member, elaborated on his proposal at a Kinmen economic forum that was held on the county’s main island on Monday.
Tourism is the backbone of Kinmen’s development, Li said.
By integrating travel and shopping, the county, previously a heavily militarized outpost, could enjoy an economic boost, he said.
China’s Xiamen, which is close to Kinmen, saw 41.24 million foreign and domestic travelers last year, Li said.
Given this potentially huge market, the county should think hard about how to attract travelers, who would only have to take a 30-minute ferry ride from Xiamen to reach Kinmen, he said.
Li said he has asked the central government to grant Chinese tourists multiple-entry visas for Kinmen and has also asked Beijing to ease the current Kinmen one-day tour restrictions to two or three days.
Furthermore, duty-free shopping would also tempt people from Taiwan proper to make the short trip to the archipelago.
The Kinmen economic forum was organized by the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum, a Taipei-based think tank, which invited officials, academics and business representatives from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China to discuss issues concerning the strategic value, economy and industry of Kinmen, as well as a proposal to establish a “living circle” covering Kinmen and Xiamen to make more effective use of tourism resources.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or