TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Independent presidential candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘) wants to counter the aging of Taiwan’s population by handing out pets to families with newborn children, reports said Friday (Sept. 1).

The decline of the country’s population has caused fears about the future of its economic development as a shortage of talent was expected. Businesses have called for the import of more migrant workers, while entrepreneurs emphasized the need to attract foreign students and persuade them to stay on after graduation.

The founder of electronics manufacturer Foxconn Technology suggested Friday that in future, if a couple had a child, it should receive an extra pet, while in the case of two children, they would be given two pets. Gou emphasized that the proposal should be discussed with animal rights groups, the Liberty Times reported.

Responding to comments by the public during a visit to a Taipei City temple Friday, the tycoon said a recent visit to an animal rights association had inspired him to seek a combination of the two issues.

Gou said that during the previous presidential election campaign, he had proposed that the government should be responsible for the cost of caring for children from birth to the age of six. The Foxconn Technology Group later implemented a subsidy of NT$15,000 (US$470) per employee giving birth to a child, he said.

Gou declared his intention to run in the Jan. 13, 2024 election last Monday (Aug. 28), but his announcement failed so far to trigger a rise in support. Recent opinion polls showed him trailing the three other candidates, Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜).