‘A small fish in a sea of sharks’: The isle caught between China and Taiwan

Visitors walk around Shaxi Fort on the Taiwanese island of Kinmen in April 2023. Kinmen lies less than 10km (6.2 miles) from the Chinese city of Xiamen which is located just across the water [Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

Kinmen Islands, Taiwan – On a warm, still evening in early June, Jason Lu parks his electric scooter near a beach on the small Taiwanese island of Kinmen. Lu, who wears a black T-shirt and glasses, pulls a bag out from under his scooter seat then heads down to the beach.

“Oh!” exclaims the 43-year-old once making it down to the shore.