Taiwan's opposition parties are heading into local elections with more rivalry than teamwork, a neutral-to-negative sign for the blue-white alliance that once looked like a united front against the ruling DPP.

• Ko Wen-je says the Taiwan People's Party will cooperate with the KMT where it can, but compete where it must — and refusing to cooperate when cooperation is possible is a mistake.
• The friction is over Pingtung's first district, where the KMT has nominated more candidates than a shared strategy would suggest.
• Ko brushed it off as normal: in multi-seat races almost every party across Taiwan, the DPP included, is running a full slate.
• His bigger message was self-reliance — the TPP has to grow on its own strength rather than lean on anyone else.
• With 12 seats up for grabs in that district, he says concentrated third-force votes can still win, backing local party chief Lin Yu-hsien.

Outlook: Expect case-by-case deals rather than a formal blue-white pact as Taiwan's local elections approach, with the TPP testing whether it can stand on its own.