Bridge planned by Beijing paves way to division, warn Taiwanese

A PROPOSED bridge to connect mainland China and an outlying island of Taiwan will only create division, Taipei has warned in the latest clash with its expansionist neighbour.

China this week released an ambitious blueprint to construct bridges between Xiamen, a 3.5 million-strong city in its south-eastern Fujian province, and Taiwan’s Kinmen, Matsu and Fuzhou islands, claiming it will help boost economic development in Taiwan.

But Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, responsible for relations with China, has accused Beijing of a unilateral manoeuvre to “divide Taiwan”.

Taiwan fears the move is another provocative strategy to conquer its territory, which China claims as its own. Some have accused Beijing of floating the bridge project to try to meddle in its election this January.

Jason Hsu, a leading politician with the opposition Kuomintang party, suggested China was trying to score points with the Taiwanese public during election season.

“The Chinese government does all sorts of things to influence Taiwan, such as offering benefits or policies,” he said.

“In this case offering a bridge to Kinmen and Matsu, which is unrealistic because if you were to extend a construction to another country it just cannot be done in this way,” Mr Hsu claimed.

“This is more of a hoax, or election language, to try to influence Taiwan.”

Beijing has also been accused of trying to sway Taiwan’s election by poaching from its small coterie of formal diplomatic allies to isolate Taipei internationally, and by switching off a lucrative stream of mainland tourists to the island.

China has long harboured ambitions to annex Taiwan, a democracy with a population of about 23million, which functions like any other nation with its own government, currency and military.

On Kinmen Island, relations with China have vastly improved since the days of sonic warfare when its “Beishan broadcasting wall,” a 30ft-tall construction of 45 loudspeakers, would blast out songs from the late Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng towards Xiamen, 1.2 miles away.

Leftover shell casings from the bombs that once terrorised Kinmen are now being transformed into worldrenowned kitchen knives by Wu Tseng-dong, a local craftsman, and his thriving family business.

Meanwhile, Kinmen, an hour’s flight from Taiwan’s capital Taipei, has already turned to China to resolve the long-term water shortages that were threatening the production of its potent, sorgum-based liquor – Kaoliang.

Water imports from Fujian to supply the 130,000 inhabitants allow the groundwater to be reserved for liquor stocks, a major source of revenue, claim local officials.

A Kinmen County Government spokesman said yesterday that the deputy director of the public works bureau had attended the bridge meeting, but added that the local authorities would “co-operate with central government policy”.

Taipei is unlikely to give the green light any time soon.