President Lai Ching-te says the future of Taiwan must not be decided by an
"external force" or hijacked by fear, division or short-term benefits."

Lai marked the second anniversary of his inauguration with a speech where he
said Taiwan's democracy is rooted in the sacrifices and devotion of many
generations of people.

He urged both ruling and opposition parties to demonstrate unity in
confronting external threats and upholding national interests and stressed
that "Taiwan's future must be decided collectively by its 23 million people."

Lai reiterated Taiwan is willing to engage with China on the condition of
parity and dignity but rejects China's "united front" work including
"unification attempts disguised as peace."

The president also said he will soon propose hundreds of billions of New
Taiwan dollars in subsidies to help small businesses improve their operations
and ease the financial burden of more families in raising their children.

He's proposing a 100-billion N-T acceleration plan to upgrade and transform
micro, small, and medium enterprises and traditional industries.

While Lai's proposals on addressing Taiwan's low birth rate included a
proposal to expand eligibility for the 5,000 N-T monthly child-rearing
subsidy from households with a child under the age of five to those with a
child under the age of 19.