The original thinking behind a free port zone at Kaohsiung Harbor was that sea and air transport would be linked and that trade and shipping would be opened with mainland China. With these conditions in place Taiwanese firms that have moved operations to China would take semi-finished goods from there and bring them back to Taiwan for sophisticated processing, after which they would be shipped out of Taiwan again.
海港連接空港，再加上三通，投資中國的台商把初級加工品運回台灣進行深層加工，再由台灣出貨，既可防止新高科技外流，又能創造在地效益，原本就是高雄自由貿易港區的規劃。