Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), an independent presidential candidate, said Taiwan’s demographic crisis could be solved by giving new parents a cat or dog.
In an early sign of how his campaign might run, Gou told attendees at a Taipei temple on Friday that the declining birthrate could be addressed by giving new parents a cat or dog.
Taiwan has one of the world’s lowest birthrates, with many people citing the high cost of living, difficulties in accessing childcare and traditional gender expectations.
Photo: CNA
Meanwhile pet ownership is skyrocketing, with anecdotal reports suggesting many couples are choosing animals over children. However, Gou felt people could be motivated to take on both.
“Give birth to a child and I will let you raise one more pet,” he said, according to a translation by Formosa TV. “A cat, a dog. Give birth to two, and I will let you adopt two more.”
Getting a pet does not require government permission.
Gou said he had recently visited an animal shelter and felt that two issues could be solved together.
“If the birthrate falls too low in the future, who will take care of our furry friends?” he told reporters later. “So I hope to tackle these two issues together. You cannot expect me, one person, to propose a complete policy for every little matter. Adding and multiplying love, that is my goal.”
The proposal was criticized by some Democratic Progressive Party politicians and animal welfare groups.
Gou said that during the last presidential election, he had proposed government subsidies for childbearing costs up to the age of six, but it was not implemented.
Gou’s campaign has been contacted for comment.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior vice president Jason Baker said: “Animals are not gifts or prizes; they are living, feeling beings who require proper love, care, and attention for a lifetime.”
“Adopting an animal is an important decision that should be made carefully,” he said. “This responsibility may prove too much for people who are already taking care of a new baby, and they may end up taking the animals to already overburdened local shelters — or worse, abandoning them outdoors to fend for themselves.”
See stories on page 8
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS