Pingtan trade area promotes trade across Taiwan Strait

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As the closest mainland city to the island region of Taiwan, Pingtan’s role in connecting the two has become more significant. Located in China’s Fujian free trade area, business owners in Pingtan have benefited from special deals offered by the central government.

At the Pingtan Cross Border E-commerces Trade, staff had just finished packaging online orders from the Double 11 (November 11) online shopping festival. This was the center’s first year participating in the Double 11 and 11,810 orders worth 10 million yuan of deal had been made.

"Products sold via Cross-Border Electronic Commerce can come from anywhere in the world," said Zhang Shu Fu, the Center’s vice director, "Taiwan provides a transfer center for the mainland to import and export products. This provides the right communication assistance across the Strait."

Pingtan trade area/VCG Photo‍

Most of the goods go through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, then to the Pingtan center, and eventually to your doorstep.

The center, which opened in May, had many perks. Participating Cross-Border E-Commerce companies who sell over five million yuan worth of items a year can get a one point five percent cash award. For those goods transferred from Taiwan, sellers get a discount of three to five yuan per kilogram in taxes.

Besides e-commerce, the mainland had also provided benefits for business owners from Taiwan to sell their products in stores. The Aoqian Taiwan Town is a largely duty-free zone of goods from Taiwan. More than 300 stores can be found in the area.

In Taiwan Town, each consumer can shop tax free for up to 6,000 yuan per day. The government also offers special deals for merchants for renting the stores and importing the goods.

CGTN Photo

Many shop owners applaud the beneficial policies, but some worry about Taiwan region's leader Tsi Ing-wen’s policies towards the mainland that could affect the central governments’ support to the free trade area.

"Our biggest hope is that the policies could be fully implemented," shop owner Lin Jian Feng said.

The upbeat trade warrants more transportation. So far in 2017, more than 105 thousand passengers have taken the two and a half hour cruise ride between Taipei and Pingtan.

"Before the cruise service started, I used to fly to Fuzhou then take the bus to get here to Pingtan," passenger Chen His-Chen said, "The cruise service makes things so convenient."

At Aoqian Port Area, passengers are embarking on a new journey across the Strait. For some, this is now the norm. And for the cruise company, they are benefiting from renewed communication between the mainland and Taiwan island.