TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Matsu’s local government magistrate said his constituents are enthusiastic about building a bridge and other connections to China, though he added this is not a decision that can be made by the people of Matsu alone.

The Taiwan-controlled islands, about 15 kilometers off China’s coast, are formally known as Lienchiang County, and plans to further connect them with China have stoked controversy. On Monday (May 13), a member of Taiwan’s national legislature suggested there may be national security concerns regarding a new travel pass designed for Matsu residents traveling to Fujian.

By contrast, in late February, Lienchiang County Magistrate Wang Chung-ming (王忠銘) said over the past two decades or so, increasing transport links with Fujian have made life more convenient for Matsu’s people. He told Taiwan News that those with family members on the opposite coast have benefited the most.

Wang said the ancestral homes of Matsu's people are found in the Lienchiang area (written “Lianjiang” in China), which is now divided between the territories of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China. “Their bloodline, language, religion, customs, and lifestyles are all extremely similar,” he said.

“After the Mini Three Links (小三通) opened up, people from the opposite coast could come here and travel, and we could go and do the same,” Wang said. “Things became very convenient.”

The Mini Three Links opened in 2001, allowing passenger ferries to travel between the two sides for the first time, alongside freight services. The trip between Matsu’s Nangan and the adjacent Pingtan Harbour takes 30 minutes each way.

Before the links opened, travel from Matsu into China meant flights from Mastu to Taipei, then to Hong Kong or Macau, and finally to Fujian. Mastu locals told Taiwan News that before 2001, people would often make the crossing illegally to visit family.

After the response to the Mini Three Links, local authorities in China and Matsu said they are ready to take the next step. In 2019, Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) delivered a speech describing the New Four Links (新四通), a project that seeks to connect water, electricity, gas, and bridges to Matsu, and the nearby Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands.  

Wang attended a meeting between Matsu and Chinese local government officials in May 2024, during which a proposal for a 27.2-kilometer road bridge was discussed. Officials outlined a plan to build a road bridge to which water, gas, and electricity services could be attached, at an estimated cost of NT$540.23 billion (US$16.67 billion).

Wang said he understands the plan cannot be approved by the people of Matsu alone. “We can make advanced plans, but we can only make the connections with the mainland when the central government gives its approval," he said. 

The New Four Links plan has been met with stiff resistance from some in Taiwan. After the May 2023 meeting, the then-DPP representative to Matsu Lii Wen (李問) labeled the project “Chinese government unification propaganda”, and urged oversight from higher levels of government.

When asked if a bridge connecting Matsu with China’s coast would affect democracy in Mastu, Wang said it would not. “Us regular people aren’t idiots - we will choose freedom, and open democratic systems every time,” he said. 

Wang said that with or without a bridge, both sides are still connected. “We are only talking about increased convenience,” he said.

“Now, we take boats, and if later there is a bridge, we’ll drive cars. It will be the same," Wang added.