A city-run toy tournament in Taichung turned into a friendly political showcase, with the mood pointing to closer cooperation between Taiwan's two opposition parties.

• Taichung's city government hosted a battling-top carnival, and all 256 entry slots filled within five minutes of opening.
• Mayor Lu Shiow-yen brought Legislative Yuan Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang and TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang onto the floor to compete against each other.
• The two split the first rounds, so Lu called a tiebreaker; Chiang won it and promised to keep the event going if he becomes mayor.
• The pre-match slogans carried the real message: Huang called for "blue-white cooperation, united victory," a nod to a KMT-TPP alliance.
• Chiang's win, and his talk of taking over city hall next year, reads as an early campaign moment for the Taichung mayoral race.

Outlook: Expect more joint appearances like this as the KMT and TPP feel out a shared ticket ahead of next year's local elections.