Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-27
Premier William Lai highlighted the government’s priorities for 2018 in a final press
Premier William Lai makes his remarks on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Executive Yuan)
conference of the year on Wednesday.
Lai said plans include balancing resources across Taiwan’s various regions, boosting the birth rate, and introducing polices to ease the burden on young parents.
The premier said Taiwan’s fertility rate stands at 1.17, one of the lowest in the world, and that the senior population will overtake the child population next year. He said the population is projected to drop below 20 million by 2056 and that the government must work on promoting childbirth.
Lai said there are plans to offer subsidies to ease the financial burden on young parents. He also said the government would allow private kindergartens to adopt welfare programs to make them more affordable. [FULL STORY]