The New Taipei City mayoral race has entered a mud-slinging phase early, a negative signal for Li Si-chuan's camp and a sign that the two sides have begun trading barbs before any comparison of policies.

• Chiang Yi-chen, director of Li Si-chuan's campaign office, accused the DPP camp of twisting his original remarks by turning "a population of over ten million" into "30 million."
• The dispute stems from Li Si-chuan's comments on cooperation among Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan and his idea of a living sphere of nearly ten million people.
• Chiang Yi-chen said this was the second such instance, following legislator Lin Chu-yin's earlier attempt to apply remarks Li Si-chuan made during the 2020 Kaohsiung by-election to the New Taipei race.
• Li Si-chuan's camp hit back at Su Chiao-hui, questioning whether she intends to turn the contest into a negative campaign, and also raised the issue of remarks about his accent.
• Chiang Yi-chen called on the opposing camp to switch to debating transport, urban renewal and industry with policies and figures.

Outlook: With the vote still some way off, the two sides are likely to remain locked in disputes over wording in the near term, leaving policy debate to wait a while longer.