After four years of closure, Hsinchu Municipal Baseball Stadium has finally entered the acceptance inspection phase, but residents have reacted with anger rather than celebration.

• The renovation works at Hsinchu Municipal Baseball Stadium have kept it closed for more than four years, and Mayor Ann Kao has announced that it is entering the final acceptance inspection phase.
• Netizens and local figures hit back, saying the stadium's real purpose is as a political cash machine at election time, with a single stadium able to be milked across two elections.
• Former city councillor Yen Cheng-te questioned why, after more spending and a four-year delay, the venue still cannot genuinely open, and also asked who would be overseeing the inspection.
• The city government responded that it would test the stadium's surface layer to international standards as stipulated in the contract, covering items such as shock absorption, energy restitution and ball roll, with player safety as the overriding principle.
• Once completed, the stadium is to be designated as a training and competition venue for third-tier baseball.

Outlook: The inspection results and the actual opening date will become the focus of the next round of political wrangling, particularly with elections drawing near.