As Taiwan's year-end local government elections heat up, President Lai Ching-te used a religious event in Hsinchu to send an indirect message to Ann Kao — one unfavourable to the incumbent mayor and favourable to the Democratic Progressive Party's challenger.

• Lai attended the Ghost Month procession at Hsinchu's City God Temple, appearing on the same stage as Kao and DPP candidate Chuang Ching-cheng.
• He first said politics had no place at a sacred occasion, then immediately expressed the hope that Hsinchu would elect a mayor who is "clean, diligent, and devoted to the local community" — widely read as a jab at Kao, who faces ongoing legal proceedings.
• The scene was outwardly courteous but tense beneath the surface: Kao responded only with a smile, while Chuang was repeatedly edged out of the frame.
• Separately, a high school student crossed out Kao's signature on their graduation certificate and asked Puma Shen to sign it instead, sparking controversy over document forgery and electoral ethics.
• In Zhubei, talks on a KMT–TPP joint ticket remain deadlocked, with the TPP backing Chiu Chen-yuan and the KMT refusing to stand aside. A decision must come before the September 4 registration deadline.

Outlook: With roughly a hundred days until the vote, the Hsinchu race will hinge on the integrity controversies surrounding Kao and on whether the KMT and TPP can cooperate. Lai's "quasi-campaigning" schedule is expected to grow busier.