The race for Taipei mayor has started early, with DPP candidate Puma Shen using his new spokesperson line-up to draw a direct contrast with incumbent mayor Chiang Wan-an's communication style — a negative line of attack on the KMT camp.

• Puma Shen's campaign office has presented two spokespeople, Tsai Yi-kai and Lin Yu-tung, whose pitch is staying close to residents and answering questions directly.
• Their slogan is "Ask A, answer A+++++++", a clear jab at criticism that Chiang Wan-an often "answers B when asked A".
• The trigger was the Taipei City Government's new spokesperson responding to a question in the city council about progress on sunshades by merely repeating what the mayor had already said; video of the exchange circulated online.
• Puma Shen said that kind of response amounts to building yet another wall between Chiang Wan-an and the city's residents.

Outlook: The Taipei mayoral contest will focus increasingly on municipal communication and delivery on policy, and clashes between the two sides' spokespeople will only become more frequent.