Lai unveils new strategy to boost childbirth and family support

Lai unveils new strategy to boost childbirth and family support

2026-05-27

To address Taiwan’s declining birth rate, President Lai Ching-te has approved an 18-point strategy to boost the population, with measures aimed at increasing childbirth and family support. The package includes a monthly allowance for kids and teenagers from 0 to 18, an extension of maternity leave from 8 weeks to 12 weeks, and extensions in marital leave and paternity leave to 14 days. Combined with existing childcare and daycare subsidies, the government estimates that each child, from birth to adulthood, will receive at least NT$1.54 million in state support. Let’s hear more.

Lai Ching-te
President
We are introducing 18 policies to across five areas. That is, to ease worries around childbirth and parenting, boost support for education, create family-friendly workplaces and reduce the burden of housing. We’re making a crucial step toward a new model of public support in Taiwan.

Xavier Chang
Executive Yuan Secretary-General
When combined, the upgraded childcare policy for ages 0-6 and the allowances for ages 0-18 come out to a monthly subsidy of NT$5,000 for families plus an additional monthly payment of NT$5,000. That means that from the moment that a child is born and until they come of age the government will provide a total of at least NT$1.54 million per child.

The government also released details of the monthly NT$5,000 allowance for people aged 0 to 18. Before age 6, families can freely use the money. Between ages 6 and 18, half of the allowance will go into a dedicated account managed by professional investment teams, so that each child can receive at least NT$360,000 upon reaching adulthood. In addition, parental leave will be upgraded into broader childcare leave, with eligibility extended from age 3 to 6, while unpaid leave subsidies will increase from 6 months to 9 months.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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賴清德宣布"生育大禮包" 0到18歲國家至少支持154萬

2026-05-27

因應少子化，賴清德總統拍板「台灣人口對策新戰略」，宣布18項措施，包括0-18歲成長津貼、以及產假從八週延長到12週、婚假、陪產假也都增加到14天。若把成長津貼加上育兒、托育補等助，估計孩子從出生到成年，國家至少支持154萬元。

[[總統賴清德]]
“從安心生養，強化托育，教育加碼，友善職場，居住減壓，五大面向推出18項政策，這是台灣邁向新公共化非常關鍵的一步”

[[行政院秘書長張惇涵]]
“現行的0到6歲國家一起養2.0，和未來的0到18歲兒童成長津貼，這兩項方案疊加計算，每個月自己帶的話，就有5000元育兒津貼，再加上成長津貼5000元，這樣子每一個小孩，一個月有一萬元的津貼，從孩子出生的那一瞬間，到他成年的那一刻，國家至少支持一個孩子154萬元”

至於0-18歲，每個月5千元細則也出爐，6歲以前自由運用、6到18歲間，則是一半強制存入成長津貼專戶，委託專業團隊投資管理，讓孩子有至少36萬成年禮。另外，育嬰假升級為育兒假，適用年齡從從3歲延長到6歲，留停津貼從現行6個月、增加到9個月。

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Nvidia held a gathering for its employees in Taiwan on the site of its future overseas headquarters in Taipei Wednesday morning. CEO Jensen Huang unveiled the design for Nvidia Constellation, the name of the new building. He also announced that his company plans to invest NT$150 billion in Taiwan, and expand its manpower by fourfold. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an was on hand and presented Huang with two thoughtful gifts.

Nvidia is holding a company event on the T17 an T18 plots of Beitou-Shilin Technology Park. He presents the Nvidia Constellation, the company’s Taipei headquarters in the making.

Jensen Huang
Nvidia CEO
We have to be a transparent company, so that the whole world can trust us. Our building is designed to be completely transparent. So you’re waiting to get on, you’re waiting to get off. You’re waiting all the time. I hate the concept of elevators.

The design is modeled after the US headquarters, with 700,000 square feet in floor area, or around 6.5 hectares. The facade is made up of triangles and polygons, while the extensive use of glass represents the company’s value of “transparency.” Huang joke that he hopes employees will be encouraged to come to the office.

- I’m spending so much money, making it so beautiful, and no one wants to come?

Jensen Huang
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The first feature to go into the building is not a computer room, is not my office. It’s a bar. We also want to be the world’s first company to take a building design from the headquarters and literally replicate it around the world.

Huang also announced that Nvidia plans to inject US$150 billion into Taiwan, 15 times that of AMD. But there’s a catch.

Jensen Huang
Nvidia CEO
Mayor, we could use more energy in Taiwan. Human labor needs rice. Our AI labor needs electricity. If you want to grow with the Industrial Revolution, you need energy. Energy growth is fundamental to the GDP of Taiwan.

He was addressing Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who presented him with two gifts: a golden “Key to the City” and a calligraphy scroll he wrote himself. The couplet includes Nvidia in Chinese characters.

Chiang Wan-an
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Taipei is becoming Nvidia’s new home.

Jensen Huang
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Taiwan has treated me and all my family and our employees so wonderfully. I can’t wait to break ground.

Nvidia Constellation is scheduled to break ground by year-end, and is expected to open in 2030. Currently, Nvidia employs around 1,000 in Taiwan. In the future, the number will grow to 4,000, demonstrating the company’s confidence in Taiwan as the “epicenter of AI revolution.”

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Cheerleader slammed for wearing high school girl’s uniform at show

Students often get reprimanded if they aren’t wearing their school uniform, but now a Korean cheerleader has gotten blasted for wearing one. Wei Chuan Dragons cheerleader Lee Dahye performed in the halftime show at the Taipei Dome on Tuesday, wearing a uniform from the prestigious Taipei First Girls High School. While the energetic routine delighted fans, it drew criticism from alumni, including Wei Wan-jung, the executive director of the International Organisation of Scenographers. In a social media post, Wei questioned the use of the school uniform in a commercial performance without the school’s consent. She also raised concerns about cultural symbolism and the male gaze, inferring that her alma mater was not for others to exploit. Her words quickly gave rise to a hot debate online. Let’s hear more.

Member of public
Supports Lee
To me, it was just a lively performance. That’s what Lee Dahye is all about. If anything it lets more people abroad know that Taiwan has an amazing school like Taipei First Girls High School.

Member of public
Sees both sides of debate
I don’t think it’s a right or wrong here. What Wei Wan-jung said isn’t wrong, it’s just her opinion. I think it’s good to have a public discussion.

Miao Po-ya
Taipei City Councilor (TFGHS alumna)
If you’re wearing a uniform embroidered with the school’s name in a commercial performance, you should get in touch with the school first. The show would’ve still been great even if she were wearing a green shirt without the embroidery. Lee Dahye’s performance wouldn’t suffer from the absence of the words “Taipei First Girls High School.” Her management company should’ve done it properly to avoid involving Lee Dahye in controversy.

Lee Dahye has responded to the controversy, saying that the outfit aimed simply to portray youthfulness and energy as part of a Taipei-themed concept for the stage. She said there was no intention to exploit, mock or disrespect the culture of any school through the costume or performance, adding that she will work harder for future shows.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Tainan’s A Sha Restaurant unveils menu for Paraguay presidential banquet

In earlier this month, President Lai Ching-te went took Paraguayan President Santiago Pena to the Southern Taiwan Science Park. After the tour, he treated Pena to an authentic taste of Taiwan at Tainan’s famous A Sha Restaurant. Both presidents thoroughly enjoyed the meal, the content of which has now been made public. The menu featured all the classics, including mud crab sticky rice and seafood soup.

The wonderful aroma of garlic bursts forth as it’s tossed in a wok, while an entire rack of ribs are fried to perfection. These “typhoon shelter-style” salted egg yolk ribs, along with a thick soup overflowing with crabmeat and seafood, are all signature dishes that were served to Paraguayan President Santiago Peña by President Lai Ching-te.

- This is the most representative selection of Taiwanese cuisine. The food you’ll eat here today you’d be unlikely to find in other cities or in five-star hotels.

At the beginning of May, Peña came to Taiwan for a state visit. After Lai accompanied the Paraguayan leader on a visit to the Southern Taiwan Science Park, he of course had to present the culinary pride of Tainan to his distinguished guest at the famous A Sha Restaurant. While they’ve hosted many foreign dignitaries before, this was their first time serving a head of state.

Wu Chien-hao
A Sha owner
This time was special because we were serving a president, so we were naturally very nervous. There were countless details to take care of that day. But most importantly, the food hygiene and safety standards were on a different level than usual.

Eating course after course of the establishment’s 60-year-old signature dishes left the foreign dignitaries fully satiated.

Wu Chien-hao
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President Peña mentioned he basically finished his entire meal that day. He said he usually doesn’t finish lunch, but he made an exception that day. He said he was extremely satisfied. We served all our signatures. Since President Lai used to visit all the time when he was mayor, there were a few must-haves he requested, so we made sure not to leave anything out.

Now that the restaurant has publicized its menu from the banquet, people are coming from far and wide to try it, eager to see what it’s like to eat like a head of state.

Diner
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We registered our marriage today, so I brought my family out. Knowing that the president chose this place especially made me want to see what it’s like.

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This place is an institution in Tainan. I’ve wanted to try it for a long time, and I also wanted to bring my in-laws and, who are from out of town, to experience this Tainan staple.

By serving timeless Tainan delicacies to guests from afar, the chefs ensured that these special foreign dignitaries enjoyed a taste of the authentic Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Woman pulls out stool to road after car lights disrupt reading

A book lover who had her reading disrupted by a passing car became the protagonist of a bizarre standoff at a busy intersection in Taipei’s Xinyi District. The woman was apparently enjoying some literature under a street light, when she was disrupted by the flashing blinkers of a car nearby. She confronted the driver, but the situation only escalated, and she ended up pulling out a stool to sit in front of the car, blocking its path. The standoff lasted more than half an hour before police arrived.

A woman has pulled out a stool to sit in the middle of the road. She’s as cool as a cucumber, blocking the car inches away from her. Neither party is willing to cede.

The driver has no intention of going the long way round. The woman is stoic, even with the bright headlights blasting straight at her eyes. The tense standoff got passersby calling the police.

Member of public
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It took more than half an hour. They were both stubborn. When the police came, the car drove away. The woman stayed there, completely silent. Nobody got out of the car.

Lee Yu-han
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The standoff took place at Yongji Street in Taipei’s Xinyi District. The woman sat on the zebra crossing, obstructing traffic. Neighbors say she often reads books at the entrance to her building, and this time, she had enough of the bright car lights disrupting her reading session.

The woman left after police intervened. She said she decided to confront the driver because his car’s warning lights were blindingly bright. After their discussion fell through, she blocked the car’s path in protest. Our reporter spoke with her.

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Four divine beings stand tall atop lotus pedestals that adorn the roof of this temple. A pair of golden gourds flanks the main entrance, which resembles the mouth of a cave. But it isn’t a cave at all. It’s a temple crafted by hand from clay.

Irregular markings reveal its handcrafted design, as if entering a natural cave with a texture resembling waves or clouds. Located in Yunlin’s Gukeng Township, the Yizhishan Thousand Buddha Temple has unique architecture throughout the inside and exterior. Instead of resting on altars, the deities are in alcoves along the walls. The main deity in this temple is the thousand-armed Guanyin. Its rugged design wasn’t conceived by its devotees. Rather, it was meant to resemble where the Bodhisattvas practiced their faith, with their backs to the mountain and eyes to the sea. When it didn’t suit their wishes, they got a new designer.

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Along the stairs, the walls still feature handcrafted cave-like textures leading to a shrine to the Four-Faced Buddha. It took 20 years to construct this temple, progressing only when funding allowed. Although it’s still not fully done, its unique design already compels passersby to stop and linger to take it all in.

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Self-serve buffet uses AI to calculate meal price

A self-serve buffet in Taichung’s Nantun District has developed an AI pricing system to make prices more transparent after it was criticized for overcharging customers. After diners select their food, the technology uses image recognition and weight to automatically calculate the total price, helping avoid disputes.

Grabbing trays and tongs, customers can choose the dishes they want at this self-serve buffet. But it’s no longer the employees who calculate the price. That’s been turned over to AI.

When a customer puts their meal on the scale, a camera identifies the types of food and calculates the price based on weight, displaying it clearly on the screen.

Customer
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It’s nice. They’re keeping up with the times. People can make mistakes, but AI should be more accurate.

Customer
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People have complained before that the cashier was calculating the price based on their own judgement, but with AI, that shouldn’t be a problem.

This self-serve buffet in Taichung’s Nantun District had received many complaints that cashiers were overcharging, even making the news. To prevent further disputes, the restaurant developed an AI system to calculate meal prices.

Hsu Yang-ling
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It uses the scale to measure the total weight of the food, and then calculates the price based on the types of food. Employees still have to organize the food, because the computer wouldn’t be able to tell if meat is hidden under vegetables.

The scale weighs the food, and AI identifies the different dishes, calculating each ingredient’s proportion of the total weight to determine the final price. The technology is more than 90% accurate.

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We kept running tests until we were confident the system would work without any major discrepancies. It took more than half a year and, honestly, a great deal of effort went into it.

The restaurant spent time and resources to develop this system, making price calculations more transparent to avoid disputes. The manager emphasized that the new technology is merely to help, and they would not cut any staff.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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79-yo man swims back to shore just as Coast Guard begins search

A 79-year-old man in Taitung sparked a full-blown missing person scare on Tuesday after heading out on a friend’s boat to go spearfishing and snorkeling off Pirate Bay in Beinan Township. While out at sea, he was away from the boat for so long that his friends started getting worried. They couldn’t find him anywhere so they returned to shore to report him missing. Just as the Coast Guard got ready to launch a search for him, he suddenly appeared onshore. He was exhuasted and furious, believing that his buddies had ditched him, forcing him to swim for almost three hours to make it back to shore.

Deploying a speedboat, the Coast Guard is searching for a 79-year-old man along Pirate Bay in Taitung’s Beinan Township, after they were notified that he had gone missing.

Just as Coast Guard officers were busy searching for him, the elderly man, completely drenched, appeared onshore and rested upon a black off-road vehicle to catch his breath. He asked for water from an angler. The group of anglers was looking on towards the horizon, hoping to spot him, and yet he’s already appeared right in their presence, alive and well.

Angler
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We asked him, “Uncle, how come you’re here?” He said that he was ditched by friends. I asked him how he made it here, and he said that he’d swum to shore. That’s how we realized it was him that the Coast Guard was looking for.

Fortunately, it was all just unfortunate timing. According to the man, he had gone snorkeling and spearfishing with friends and taking their boat. After he’d surfaced, his friends were nowhere to be found. Furious and believing that his friends had abandoned him, he decided to swim back to the fisheries conservation area himself, which took nearly three hours.

79-yo man
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It was at least two to three nautical miles. Fortunately, the currents were drifting towards the shore, otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible.

- Do your friends know?
- He said his friends ditched him.
- I called but he didn’t pick up. Well, he could’ve checked if someone called first.
- Oh, so he knew that he should call you?
- No, the police.

The man still believes that his friends should have stayed a little longer and only seek help when they’re sure he’s truly missing. Fortunately, it all ended well. The only thing now is to repair trust between friends.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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2026-05-27