New Taipei mayoral race turns bitter over 921 earthquake rebuilding claims

Aug 27, 2026

Taiwan's New Taipei mayoral campaign is getting nastier, with the KMT camp accusing the DPP side of twisting a survivor's story for political gain — bad news for anyone hoping for a clean race.

  • Lee Si-chuan's campaign says rival Su Chiao-hui's team distorted a quake survivor's thank-you into an attack.
  • The woman, from Taishan, credits Lee with helping rebuild her home after the 1999 earthquake while he served in the old Taipei County government.
  • Lee's camp says the rival side confused Taishan with Xinzhuang and used an unrelated project to accuse him of claiming credit for others' work.
  • The campaign lists earlier incidents too, including a DPP lawmaker recycling old remarks and a candidate inflating a population figure.
  • The pushback: the race should be about who can actually run New Taipei, not who edits quotes best.

Outlook: Expect more tit-for-tat attacks as the New Taipei race heats up, with both camps fighting over Lee's record in local government.

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