Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) Taichung's population has exceeded that of Kaohsiung for the first time ever, making it the second largest city in Taiwan after New Taipei, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung said Wednesday, citing government statistics valid as of late July.
Taichung now has a population of 2,778,182, which is 309 more than Kaohsiung, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Lin said at an international seminar on land development near the Taichung metro system.
He said it is a good time to invest in Taichung, given the population growth, a city development plan that has already been approved by the MOI, and the inclusion of a light rail construction project in Taichung under the central government's infrastructure plan.
The city in central Taiwan will also relax its standards for evaluating investment projects and will offer more investment incentives, Lin said.
As Taichung's population increases, the city government will build more public facilities and reform its social welfare system in order to attract more investors and talent, he said.
