Taiwan interior minister defends social housing and rent subsidy record
Taiwan's government is pushing back on claims it broke its housing promises, saying rent help has no cap — reassuring for renters, but critics still doubt the building targets.
- Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang said 17,000 social housing units have been built since President Lai took office.
- She rejected reports that rent subsidies are being cut, saying anyone who qualifies gets paid and there is no ceiling on the number of households.
- Direct construction is the hardest part of the plan, since each project takes about five years, so the government is leaning on rent subsidies and managed rentals instead.
- Big cities are being asked to hand over 5% of land in large development zones for central-government housing, with New Taipei's Wenzaizun area cited as an example.
- Separately, a Chinese-born spouse convicted under the anti-infiltration law faces seven years in prison and possible loss of her Taiwanese ID, and the block on Chinese app Xiaohongshu may be extended after fraud cases tied to it fell sharply.
Outlook: The rent subsidy program continues without limits, while the 130,000-unit social housing goal stays a long-term fight and the Xiaohongshu ban looks likely to be renewed.