To Chinese mainland: “I'm going to work hard in Pingtan Taiwan Pioneer Park”
“Pingtan is changing almost every day, being full of possibility and inspiring people to give it a go.” With his parents opening a tri-preferential duty-free shop at the Taiwan Duty-Free Marketplace in Pingtan, Fujian, the 24-year-old Taiwanese youth Mo Juya came to Pingtan, Fujian from Yilan, Taiwan, two years ago.
Mo Juya decided to start a business independently. I walked into his “Yaya Cultural and Creative Space” in Taiwan Pioneer Park located in the Jinjingwan Area of Pingtan, and it was there that he was collating his academic credentials and identification documents.
“It only takes three hours to fly back home, and the threshold is lower for entrepreneurship. I therefore hope to work hard in Taiwan Pioneer Park in Pingtan,” said Mo Juya, pointing to his documents. “These are documents needed to start a business in Taiwan Pioneer Park. If your creative ideas are good enough, you can also get a support fund of 150,000 yuan.”
Pingtan Taiwan Pioneer Park has been selected as a cross-strait youth entrepreneurship base. Covering an area of 130 mu (86,667 square meters), it houses 36 entrepreneurial buildings and has additionally been planned as a technology enterprise incubation center, cross-border e-commerce industrial park, and headquarters for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Arbitration Center across the strait and the KMT Central Committee Youth Venture Valley also have establishments here.
As of August 5, 2016, Pingtan Taiwan Pioneer Park housed 143 companies, including ten mass entrepreneurship space management agencies and one national incubator management organization. Projects carried out in the park include such fields as biotechnology, electronic information, equipment manufacturing, health management, e-commerce, finance, business, cultural creativity, and tourism.
“I'll never leave here,” Zhan Yizhe, a young entrepreneur from Taiwan who has moved from Jiangsu to Pingtan, said. He operates his mass entrepreneurship space in Taiwan Pioneer Park, and in addition to this “sideline business”, he also serves as the general manager of Perto Hose & Piping System Stock Co. Ltd., which has been listed on the New Third Board.
Last May, Zhan Yizhe was attracted to Pingtan’s fame. Pingtan, which has the synergic advantage of being a “two zones and one island” pilot free trade zone, comprehensive pilot zone, and international tourism-friendly island, also enjoys preferential policies such as a 15% corporate income tax and special customs supervision, which attracted Zhan’s attention.
With the keenness of a true merchant, Zhan felt that the developmental prospects for improved sea trade between Pingtan and Taipei are promising. Due to the rise of Pingtan’s logistics industry, customs declaration services at Keelung Port are now transferring to the Port of Taipei. “I can feel quite a change,” he said.
On the 18th day of this month, Zhan Yizhe, on behalf of Petro, signed an agreement with the Management Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone to build a comprehensive base for the design, processing, logistics, and settlement of wind power generation water cooling systems and to relocate the Asia-Pacific Operation Center of his self-created industrial pipe brand, Petrohoas, to Pingtan. According to Zhan, Pingtan’s preferential policies toward Taiwan will attract more young Taiwanese people to “come around the bend” and start businesses here.
“If Taiwanese youths do not come to the mainland and face the Taiwanese market only, they can only look forward to remaining in a family-centric workshop production line.” Zhan Yizhe noted that the mainland market is large, and family workshops are easily developed into factories. Operating in groups therefore seems to be the path Taiwanese youths must take to save costs.
Zhan Yizhe has been working in the mainland for 16 years since he “set foot on the other side” at the age of 30. “My experience has taught that you’d better fit into the local environment if you decide to invest.”
