Central Government Promotes New Population Strategy: Major Cities Positive, Taichung Urges Stable Funding

Central News Agency (Taipei, May 27) President Lai Ching-te led his administration team today to explain the government's latest strategic direction for addressing low birth rates and population structure challenges. The Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung city governments have responded positively, though Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen reminded the central government that "funding must be stable." The Presidential Office held a high-level national security meeting this morning and announced 18 measures covering three stages, four strategies, and five aspects at a press conference at 11:30 AM. The Taipei City Government stated that its Labor Bureau pioneered a "reduced working hours without pay cuts" program in March, which has been joined by over 350 companies, and welcomed the central government's follow-up. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, responding to a query from KMT city councilor Huang Chia-tien, noted that the 0-18 growth allowance proposed by the President was originally a KMT proposal, and while she praised the move, she warned against the central government issuing checks that local governments have to pay for. The Tainan City Government stated that low birth rates are a national security issue and that the new strategy addresses the pain points of young parents. The Kaohsiung City Government expressed support for the 18 policies and promised to coordinate while considering fiscal constraints. The New Taipei City Government argued that for a policy involving hundreds of billions of NT dollars annually, the central government should clarify funding and division of labor early on rather than leaving local governments to guess. Public reactions were mixed; while some young couples welcomed the extension of parental leave and subsidies, many others expressed skepticism, arguing that without addressing structural issues like high housing prices, inflation, and low wages, the policies would not fundamentally solve the problem.