Kinmen, this islet caught between Taipei and Beijing, is economically dependent on China. From Kinmen, the Chinese port of Xiamen is only about 3 kilometers, or only thirty minutes by boat.
The 50,000 permanent inhabitants of these semi-rural islands often swear by access to the Chinese market. In February, a chase and collision between a Chinese fishing boat, which had entered less than a nautical mile into Kinmen waters, and the Taiwanese coast guard caused the death of two fishermen.