Negotiations between the KMT and the TPP over the Zhubei mayoral election in Hsinchu County have broken down, dealing a blow to cooperation between the two parties and making the local race harder to predict.

• The TPP had believed the two sides had a tacit understanding: the county magistrate's seat would go to the KMT's Hsu Hsin-ying, while the TPP would field a candidate for Zhubei mayor.
• KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun said at their meeting that she could not resolve the Zhubei question, and the TPP shifted to backing Chiu Chen-yuan in registering and running to the end.
• Ko Wen-je confronted Huang Kuo-chang in person in Taichung, demanding that Cheng Li-wun make her position clear, and criticised the notion that a party leader can simply turn public sentiment around at will.
• Huang Kuo-chang described the KMT as "setting the whole forest on fire for the sake of one tree," saying he still does not understand the other side's decision.
• The KMT, for its part, said the integration process is complicated and that with registration open until 4 September, it will keep working until the last moment.

Outlook: There is still room for a turnaround before the registration deadline, but cracks have appeared in the stable cooperation the two parties have maintained since 2024, and the ultimate effect will depend on how voters cast their ballots.