‘Kinmen model’ can be expanded to Taiwan Strait

The frequency of China Coast Guard law enforcement patrols in the waters near Kinmen Island has increased markedly this month. In the process, the CCG is taking practical measures to maintain the order and regulations of operations in the sea area.

These moves effectively protect the lives and property of fishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. They also assert the Chinese mainland’s jurisdiction over the waters around Kinmen.

Whether they are Taiwan’s merchant ships, civilian ships, or Taiwan’s “military supply ships” sailing from Kinmen to other nearby islets, they will be included in the scope of law enforcement inspections carried out by the CCG.

The mainland and Taiwan both belong to one China. The waters around Kinmen are China’s territorial waters. The central government in Beijing is the only legal representative of the country. Thus Beijing has indisputable jurisdiction and law enforcement rights in the waters.

There are signs that the coast guard, maritime affairs, maritime surveillance, fishery and other departments of the Chinese mainland will all be involved in the governance of this sea area soon.

Fishermen of Kinmen and Xiamen have fished together for a long time in the waters. If Kinmen fishermen encounter unexpected dangers, the mainland’s maritime law enforcement agencies will make rescue efforts. Therefore, Kinmen fishermen know very well that CCG’s law enforcement and inspection operations can effectively protect their lives and property.

It should also be noted that Fujian province officially opened a water supply to Kinmen in 2018. By the end of 2023, the coastal city of Quanzhou, Fujian province, has supplied more than 30 million tons of water to the Kinmen area, and more than 70 percent of the daily water supply for the Kinmen water plant comes from Quanzhou.

The connection between Kinmen and the mainland is not limited to that. In 2022, a national highway construction plan issued by the central government mentioned that two highways connecting Xiamen and Quanzhou respectively to Kinmen will be built.

Yet due to repeated obstruction by the secessionist-minded Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan, the construction of relevant facilities on the Kinmen side has been delayed for a long time. This goes against the desire of Kinmen compatriots to deepen their ties with the mainland.

The construction of these projects are inseparable from the protection of relevant sea areas by the coast guard, maritime affairs, maritime surveillance and fishery departments. The people of Kinmen are looking forward to the early realization of the “samecity living circle” between Xiamen and Kinmen, but the DPP authorities have become the biggest obstacle to the continued integration and development of the mainland and Kinmen.

In the future, this “Kinmen model” of law enforcement inspections can also be applied to Matsu and Penghu islands, and even the entire Taiwan Strait.