A KMT county chief thanking Taiwan's DPP president for local investment has set off a backlash inside her own party, exposing how bitter the split has become.

• Changhua county chief Wang Hui-mei publicly thanked President Lai Ching-te after he promised to finish approving a hardware-industry development plan for the county by year end.
• She also pushed the central government to speed up three more local projects, including a rail link and an industrial park.
• KMT supporters piled into the comments telling her to quit the party and join the DPP, with some saying they regret voting for her.
• The anger traces back to an earlier fight with KMT headquarters over who gets nominated for the next Changhua county chief race.
• A minority defended her, arguing local building projects should not be a blue-versus-green issue.

Outlook: With her term ending and an election ahead, the rift between Wang and the KMT looks set to widen rather than heal.