The Taipei mayoral race has begun early, and after DPP candidate Puma Shen was criticised as "too weak," he hit back in low-key fashion — a small crack in the tacit cooperation between the KMT and the TPP.

• Ko Wen-je blamed the controversy over Chiang Wan-an's refusal to campaign for TPP city councillors on his opponent Puma Shen being too weak, leaving Chiang under no pressure.
• Shen countered that Ko was also called too weak when he ran for mayor back then, yet he still won in the end.
• He said it is precisely because he is weak that he must work the grassroots harder and gather public opinion, and he stressed that the merits of an administration should be judged on the facts.
• TPP councillors have recently raised questions on issues such as child abuse in terms similar to those used by the DPP, indicating that the TPP is also dissatisfied with Chiang Wan-an's running of the city.
• Shen also discussed municipal issues including the awarding of the school lunch contract, the slow and overpriced procurement of parasols, and the failure of flood reporting at the Flora Expo site, playing up his oversight of city government.

Outlook: KMT–TPP cooperation in Taipei appears to be loosening. Shen will continue working the grassroots and stepping up his scrutiny of city government in the near term, and the choice of chair for his campaign headquarters will also be announced soon.