small archipelago used as a frontline for the threat from China

• 

  Sjoerd den Daas

  corresponding China

Today there were regional elections in Taiwan. It deals with local issues, but the tense relationship with China is never far away. At the forefront of this tense relationship are the Matsu Islands off the coast of Fujian Province. It is the focal point of Chinese military pressure. Taiwan feels warned every day. Correspondent Sjoerd den Daas visited the islands.

A ferry departs daily from Keelung, just north of Taipei, for the Matsu Islands. The crossing takes about eight to nine hours, mostly filled with people who couldn’t get tickets for the limited flights to and from the islands. They went for the cheapest option: the boat, with bed, is cheaper than the 50 minute plane ride.

The door and the large LED letters slowly disappear from view. The first part of the ferry briefly sails along the northwest coast of Taiwan, the outlines of which are clearly visible even at nightfall. Then it gets dark. Except for a few fishing boats and container ships, there is nothing to see for a long time on the crossing, directly across the Taiwan Strait.

Nangan market, the administrative and economic heart of the Matsu Islands, is very crowded at dawn. At seven o’clock the candidates for the judiciary, de facto mayor of the archipelago, are already on their way to recruit voters. “We greet people here, have a chat with them,” says Wang Tsong-ming.

He is one of two candidates for the island’s Kuomintang (KMT), the party that favors closer ties with Beijing. “It’s about transportation. Inter-island connections,” he says. A second airline, more ferries, for example. Less about the major threat from China, which Matsu has lived with for decades. “We’re used to it,” Wang says. “Before we had to hide from the artillery.”

In times of growing tensions with China, it is good to make Taiwanese feel they are not alone, said the foreign minister in an extensive interview with correspondent Sjoerd den Daas.

Martial law was in effect on the island until 1992. “There was no late return from the sea in a fishing boat,” said Tsao Er-yuan, the other KMT candidate. “Now there is democracy, freedom. Then there was a curfew, the lights had to be turned off at night”.

The scars of previous crises are still visible all over the island. Defense posts, some still occupied, others now abandoned. The island has many hundreds of tunnel systems, where soldiers and civilians could take cover.

“All done by hand, using explosives,” says Liu Jiaguo. “You can still see the holes.” He is the director of Matsu’s main news site. “People have died here because the explosives sometimes didn’t go off until later.” The archipelago, which has about 13,000 inhabitants and is smaller than Schiermonnikoog, is only a few kilometers from the Chinese coast. Visible to the naked eye, from inside the bunker.

“Distance from China is nothing, far from it in our hearts,” says Tsao Yisiung. He has opened an art studio and restaurant in one of the now abandoned Taiwanese Army defense posts. “We enjoy our human rights, freedom, the rule of law.”

Tsao: “If Xi Jinping is willing to give the people the right to vote, with freedoms equal to those of Taiwan, then I agree with the reunification,” he laughs. Unlikely, at a time when Xi is tightening the screws and increasing pressure on Taiwan.

In addition to the mayoral and district council elections, there is a referendum to lower the voting age from 20 to 18. Elections that for most people, including Matsu, are not directly a referendum for the national government. You also know Lii Wen, who ran for Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party in Matsu. “It’s the first time we’ve done this,” she says in her election office.

“Finally, there’s something to choose from,” Lii says. “It’s about good healthcare, the housing market and transparent governance,” Lii continues, then gets into her campaign jeep. The current government of the island is corrupt, it seems in democratic circles. “People follow the news, they know the troops are on alert,” she asked about China’s role in this election. “People are prepared, but people don’t let their daily lives be affected simply because they have a bully as a neighbor.”

Corona restrictions and travel restrictions from across the water mean that no Chinese day-trippers have come to Matsu for nearly three years. Accounting for about a fifth of the total number of tourists, Wang is a candidate for the position of magistrate. “Since tourists from Taiwan couldn’t go abroad for a long time, more people from their own country have come to Matsu recently. For us, this is a positive development,” he says.

The big difference with cities like Taipei and other big cities? “The door is not to be locked here, neither is your car. Where can they go in your car, at sea?” laughs Wang. Then, more seriously: «In Taipei you don’t necessarily choose a candidate you know, who matters less in the big city. It’s different here: people choose someone they know».

A tough battle for DPP’er Lii, who comes from outside? “I don’t think so. People are optimistic that we’re going to shake up local politics,” he says. “A breath of fresh air, which should encourage young people and hopefully bring progress.”