Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te used his National Day eve speech to press the opposition-controlled legislature to pass the government's budget — a sign the funding fight is still unresolved.

• Lai asked Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu and lawmakers from all parties to quickly approve the central government budget and this year's extra spending bill.
• He tied the money directly to daily life: higher wages, childcare help, and elderly care.
• The pitch frames better living standards as the point of Taiwan's recent economic wins, not just the headline numbers.
• He said more companies are choosing to keep their next-generation investments in Taiwan, and that the world now needs Taiwan rather than the other way round.
• The speech leaned hard on unity, held in New Taipei City before domestic and overseas guests.

Outlook: The budget now sits with a legislature the ruling party does not control, so expect more haggling before anything passes.