In order to promote cross-strait integrated development, China is investing in the construction of the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge. At a press conference on the morning of the 26th, Peng Qing'en, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, mentioned that after the completion of the bridge, it will be possible to deliver “water, electricity, and gas” to Kinmen via pipelines in the bridge, and the number of passageways between Xiamen and Kinmen will also increase. He called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to support the early completion and opening of the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge.
Peng Qing'en, who also serves as director of the Economic Bureau of the Taiwan Affairs Office, stated on the 26th that on November 15, more than 40 Kinmen compatriots visited the construction site of the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge (Xiamen section) as a group for the first time, and all expressed a strong desire for the bridge to be opened soon.
He pointed out that the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge (Xiamen section) project started construction in October 2023. The cross-sea section is designed with a segmented double carriageway of 4 to 8 lanes. The stretch from Dadeng Island to Kinmen is approximately 4.5 kilometers long, and is planned to be built as a dual 6-lane high-speed expressway with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
Previously, after the water supply project from Jinjiang, Fujian to Kinmen was launched in 2018, then-county chief of Kinmen, Chen Fuhai, proposed the “new three links” (after water connection, then electricity and a bridge). In January the following year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in a talk on Taiwan, also offered to “prioritize access to water, electricity, gas, and bridges between Kinmen, Matsu and coastal areas of Fujian.” In 2023, China's document on the “Cross-Strait Integrated Development Demonstration Zone” in Fujian specifically stated the need to “explore models of joint infrastructure development between Xiamen and Kinmen, and accelerate the connection to Kinmen in terms of electricity, gas, and bridges.”
Peng Qing'en stressed that after the bridge is completed, it will be possible to deliver water, electricity, and gas to Kinmen via pipelines, improving Kinmen’s development environment. At the same time, it will complement the direct sea links of the “mini-three-links,” increasing the number of Xiamen-Kinmen transit routes. Once opened to traffic, Xiamen and Kinmen will form an even closer “metropolitan living circle.” He called on “the DPP authorities to face up to the demands and interests of Kinmen residents, stop political maneuvering, genuinely work for the benefit of the people, and support the early completion and opening of the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge.”
According to the Chinese side’s plan, the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge will start from Xiamen Island, pass through the new Xiamen Xiang'an Airport, and then connect to Kinmen Island. The Xiamen section is expected to open to traffic in 2027. If the bridge pipeline plan proceeds, Xiamen will be able to simultaneously deliver water, electricity, gas, and bridge access to Kinmen, thus achieving all “four links” at once. However, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has previously pointed out that the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge poses “enormous national security risks.”