The cooperation between the Taiwan People's Party and the Kuomintang in Hsinchu County has formally collapsed — bad news for both parties' local election prospects, and potentially an opening for the Democratic Progressive Party.

• At a meeting today, the TPP decided that elections at all levels in Hsinchu County will no longer be bound by the blue-white cooperation agreement for 2026.
• The stated reason is that the KMT's Hsinchu County magistrate candidate, Hsu Hsin-ying, failed to honour her commitments, damaging two years of mutual trust between the parties.
• TPP members who publicly campaign for the KMT's candidates for Hsinchu County magistrate or Zhubei mayor face penalties up to expulsion from the party.
• Yang Wen-ke, chair of the KMT's Hsinchu County branch, declined to comment, stressing only that last Friday's open letter was a routine election-related reminder issued in accordance with the party charter, that it applies solely to his own party's members, and that it does not concern other opposition parties.

Outlook: The blue and white camps are expected to fight separately in Hsinchu County, and whether the breakdown in cooperation spreads to other counties and cities is the next thing to watch.