The Taipei mayoral race has erupted over a defaced graduation certificate — a boost in visibility for DPP candidate Puan Shen, and an embarrassment for Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao.

• A female high school student in Hsinchu crossed out Ann Kao's signature on her graduation certificate and asked Puan Shen to sign next to it.
• Puan Shen wrote "Your mayor, Puan Shen," and later said elections should not suppress freedom of expression or creativity, and should not sour relations either.
• Asked whether he would do the same, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an replied coolly, "I wouldn't do that."
• Puan Shen stressed that he meant no disrespect to Ann Kao, and that any argument should be about city governance, not attacks on students.
• Supporters draw crowds wherever he goes, with the DPP camp describing an "ocean current" that has swept across Taipei City.

Outlook: Small clashes like this will keep raising the temperature of the Taipei mayoral race, with the Blue and Green camps continuing to measure each other on style and attitude in the near term.