In the Taiwan Strait, tensions leave Kinmen with piles of garbage

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait continue with increased military drills, with the Kinmen Islands trapped in the middle.

An oyster farmer walks in front of China's Xiamen, ahead of the 60th anniversary of Second Taiwan Straits Crisis against China, on Lieyu island, Kinmen county, Taiwan August 20, 2018
An oyster farmer walks in front of China's Xiamen, ahead of the 60th anniversary of Second Taiwan Straits Crisis against China, on Lieyu island, Kinmen county, Taiwan August 20, 2018 [Tyrone Siu/Reuters]

Want to hear your voice on The Take? Record a voice message for International Podcast Day about why you listen and it could be featured on the show.

The archipelago of Kinmen in the Strait of Taiwan is small, barely visible on a map. Despite being under Taiwanese governance, it is actually closer to the shores of mainland China, only a 30-minute ferry ride away. It has been dealing with a garbage problem, with tonnes of trash washing up on its shores. But Kinmen has long been dealing with the consequences of Beijing and Taipei’s conflict, including recent military activity. So, where does this geopolitical dispute leave the Kinmenese?

In this episode: 

You can find more of Frederick’s reporting from Kinmen, including pictures from the islands, here.

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sari el-Khalili, Chloe K Li, and our host Malika Bilal. David Enders fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik, and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Source: Al Jazeera