Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has been drawn into a controversy over "privilege" after his son secured a city-government-funded place to study in the United States — bad news for his future electoral prospects.

• Chiang Te-li, Chiang Wan-an's eldest son, won a publicly funded Taipei City exchange place in the United States, prompting questions over whether his father failed to recuse himself from a conflict of interest.
• Writer Wang Hao has compared the episode to Sean Lien's 2014 run for Taipei mayor, when Lien lost to Ko Wen-je despite the advantages of running on the Kuomintang ticket.
• Lien's biggest liability was not his policy platform but his image as a member of the privileged elite riding on his father's name — a perception shared even among pan-blue voters.
• The real issue is not blue-green partisanship but the question ordinary people are asking: with places limited and dual nationality involved, how exactly were the rules and procedures set?
• Wang Hao warned Chiang Wan-an not to let "Crown Prince An" become his next political label.

Outlook: The controversy is unlikely to die down soon and could become a burden for Chiang Wan-an in his next election.