台灣高度依賴貿易。高雄和基隆兩港在1980年是全球第三和第七大港口。隨生產全球化和中國港口磁吸下，港口和城市榮景不再。文獻較少論及港口與城市關聯，本文旨在分析港口城市的經濟關係，使用投入產出法分析近20年來高雄及基隆地區經濟發展，探究過去發展港埠產業對於所得和就業等經濟面影響。我們發現：港埠產業對兩地確為重要產業。此外，高雄充分利用港口優勢發展工業，當港口競爭力弱化，製造業反過來支撐港口，呈現高雄港口城市多轨並行模式。反觀，基隆則是依附港埠產業港口城市關係。海運對基隆之國民所得影響層面最大，加上位處亞洲樞紐位置，隨著近年郵輪停泊艘數及遊客數日益增加，或可成為再活絡基隆港口與城市經濟發展之方向之一。

With the rapid economic growth in Taiwan during the 1970s-80s, the ports of Keelung and Kaohsiung had become the third and seventh largest ports in the world. However, the once-thriving seaports are shrinking today. The crisis is a result of the magnetic effect induced by Chinese ports under the trend of production globalization. Little attention in the related literature has been paid on the economic role for port-based economy. This paper aims to examine how the economic role of port-city affects employment, port-related industries, and inter-industry connections. Our main findings are as follows: First, port-based sectors have relatively high production- and earning-inducing effects. Second, Kaohsiung plays an important role in the government's export-driven economic strategy. By contrast , Keelung clings to the mono-port based economy. Finally, Kaohsiung has showed the port-city complementarity. Meanwhile, Keelung has to cope with declining port-based industries and explore its new roles. While cruise tourism is rapidly booming in Asia Pacific, the development of cruise service in Keelung Port maybe regain the past glory.