Taiwanese youth start a business in Pingtan, Fujian Province

Five days ago, the "Lina" liner from Taipei arrived at the Aoqian RO-RO Passenger Dock in Pingtan, Fujian province and Taiwanese youth Liu Tianci is on this ship. He didn't know the specific arrangements for this trip but heard of the place from several friends."Pingtan is a good place with strong support from the government, where the young Taiwanese open stores free of ground rent, in addition to subsidies every month!" Although he did not know the situation well, he was willing to take advantage of the weekend when he established a Pingtan Study Group with several friends to explore local business opportunities while enjoying the trip.

Pingtan Island, located in the eastern part of Fujian Province, is an island county with the closest distance from the continent to Taiwan, only 68 nautical miles from Hsinchu, Taiwan. A large number of Taiwanese youth have been attracted here to start a business by the special geographical location, rich natural and human resources, and a series of Taiwan-based preferential policy dividends. The "strait" and "lina", the direct sea-going steamers between Taiwan and Pingtan, attract a host of Taiwanese youths every day, many of whom share the same ideato understand the market, policies and development status of the entire continent through Pingtan. Among them is zhang Mingjun, a Taiwanese businessman born in the 1980s.

Unlike Liu Tianci, who came to visit for the first time, Zhang Mingjun has been working and living in Pingtan for a year. Two years ago, hearing that there was a policy of benefiting Taiwan in Pingtan, he resigned from the stable job in Suzhou and came to Pingtan alone, followed by a careful study of the specific preferential terms." I found that the support from the government was very strong. In spite of the stable income from original work, I still want to come here to make a career while i am young."

Aoqian Taiwan town, also known as Pingtan Taiwan duty-free market, is located in the Aoqian area of Pingtan free trade zone, only 1 km away from the cross-straits direct passenger terminal in Aoqian, which is veritably the land having direct access to Taiwan. Covering an area of 140,000 square meters, the market is composed of 38 buildings, warehouses, parking lots and green landscape and it is the Ten Functional Platformof Fujian Free Trade Zone as well as the Provincial Employment and Start-up Base for the Taiwanese youth in Fujian.

Entering the Aoqian Taiwan town, you can see the signboard on which it writesProvincial Employment and Start-up Base for the Taiwanese youth in Fujian. By the end of March this year, the town has signed up 270 shops, including 12 Taiwanese theme parks, 194 Taiwan brand flagship stores and specialty shops, 55 service providers of import & export trade and logistics , 4 specialty catering and 4 cultural and creative street project. The personnel entering the Aoqian Taiwan town can purchase such things as the grain and oil food, textile and clothing, native products, light industrial products, handicrafts, pharmaceuticals, all of which are made in Taiwan,with no more than 6,000 yuan for each person every day.

At the Aoqian Taiwan town, Zhang Mingjun applied for a two-year zero-rent storefront, a monthly talent allowance of 2,500 yuan, a housing allowance of 210 yuan and a series of other preferential policies. "The central government has given strong support to Pingtan and these policies are very suitable for small businesses like ours that are newly established, underfunded and small-scaled." I can take Pingtan as a foundation and a starting point, where I can understand and watch the whole mainland market," Zhang told the journalist excitedly.

One of the reason that attracts many Taiwanese e-commerce companies to  mainland China come down to the followings: the mature e-commerce development in mainland China and the cross-border bonded warehouse with Pingtan characteristics. Due to fewer tourists in Pingtan in the off-season, Taiwan businessmen can put the goods in the bonded warehouse and display and sell them online, and eventually ship the goods from Pingtan throughout the country.  

"Pingtan high-speed rail will be opened next year, by then I don't have to worry about passenger flow and logistics. Here, I can see the future and the overall situation moving in a good direction, so I am full of confidence!" Zhang Mingjun gesticulated happily.

By the end of March this year, the total value of Taiwanese import goods of Aoqian Taiwan town was about 3.3 billion yuan, including about 830 million yuan in 2018 and about 190 million yuan in the first three months of this year and a year-on-year growth of roughly11.8%.Besides, there are more than 800 employees at the Aoqian Taiwan town, including about 150 Taiwan compatriots.