New Taipei Mayoral Race: Li Si-chuan's "Chuan Friends Association" Launches in Xizhi and Wanli

Aug 24, 2026

Kuomintang New Taipei mayoral candidate Li Si-chuan is rapidly expanding his grassroots momentum through local organisational networks — good news for the KMT's electoral prospects, and pressure on his rivals.

  • The "Chuan Friends Association" was formed spontaneously by borough chiefs and local notables, and now covers 25 of New Taipei's districts, with the goal of reaching all 29.
  • The two inaugural rallies in Xizhi and Wanli drew more than a thousand residents combined, with numerous borough chiefs appearing on stage in a show of local organisational strength.
  • His platform centres on rail construction, aiming to break the traffic bottleneck between Xizhi and Taipei and to link a 30-minute living circle across Taipei and New Taipei with an AI technology industrial belt.
  • He has also promised upgrades to fishing harbours, tourism built around Wanli crab, the revival of the Wanli-Shuangxi tunnel project, and welfare measures including public childcare, child-rearing support and maternal care.
  • The "Taipei-New Taipei as one" appeal, pursued in cooperation with Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, lifts the campaign to the level of regional governance.

Outlook: as grassroots organising continues to spread, the campaign's central themes will in the near term focus on a policy contest over transport infrastructure and childcare benefits.

← Latest · Archive