A weight-loss joke by Li Si-chuan, the Kuomintang's candidate for New Taipei City mayor, unexpectedly turned into a long-distance exchange of fire between the blue and green camps. It has had little effect on the two figures themselves, but it highlights the growing acrimony in the run-up to the election.

• Visiting the party caucus at the Legislative Yuan, Li Si-chuan said he had lost five kilograms while campaigning across all 29 districts of New Taipei, and added offhandedly that Chen Yu-chen "still hasn't lost any weight."
• Democratic Progressive Party New Taipei City councillor Tai Wei-shan criticised him for commenting on a woman's figure instead of discussing city government affairs.
• Chen Yu-chen stepped in to smooth things over, saying the two are old acquaintances and that their mutual teasing reflects a shared understanding and encouragement over their diligent grassroots campaigning.
• She asked in return what other politicians were "piling on for" when the person concerned did not even feel offended, adding that the matter need not be blown out of proportion.

Outlook: Such war-of-words episodes are expected to continue as the New Taipei mayoral race heats up, but they are unlikely to shift the main themes of the campaign.