Will Beijing pull the plug on trade?
Taiwan has been warned by the Beijing government that it will face reprisals if it opens a casino on the Kinmen Islands.
Gambling is not permitted in Mainland China. Though Taiwan considers itself a sovereign entity, the Chinese government still considers it a province under Beijing control, according to Macau Business. In 2009, the Taiwanese government approved legislation that gave its islands the right to make decide via referendum whether they want to develop casinos.
Beijing has reportedly told officials in Taiwan that if a casino opens on any of the Kinmen Islands, it could put an end to postal and transportation services and block direct trade channels between the Fujian ports of Xiamen and Fuzhou and the Taiwan Islands.
GGRAsia reported that the president of Taiwan’s legislature, Wang Jin-pyng, is “unfazed” by the threat and will move forward with a casino plan for the islands.
However, the success of a Taiwanese casino industry could depend on the Mainland’s visa policies, said Eugene Christiansen, CEO of Christiansen Capital Advisors LLC. At the Macao Gaming Summit last November, he said, “The industry there could be heavily influenced by visa policies in mainland China and on whether Chinese will be able to visit casinos in Taiwan.”
