A local borough chief in New Taipei has warned that a pro-Beijing online personality running for city council is less of a threat at the ballot box than in the grassroots networks she has quietly built over the past year.

• Chen Chu-yin, a martial-arts actress who gave up her Taiwan residency and health insurance to move to China, is running for city council in the Xizhi, Jinshan and Wanli district for the pro-China Labor Party.
• She has almost no chance of winning; the concern is the year she spent filming free promotional videos for local borough chiefs and temples, including some from the ruling party's side.
• She showed up with camera gear far beyond what her channel earns, filmed temple festivals from prime positions reserved for trusted insiders, and handed the edited footage over for free.
• In person she was friendly and never raised China or unification — the opposite of her hardline social media persona, where she declared she would kill anyone who sent her son to war.
• Prosecutors could not act because there was no payment trail or clear evidence of illegal election interference, only short videos.

Outlook: Taiwan's borough chiefs average over 64 years old and temples are losing young members, so expect more of these slow, friendly infiltration efforts to go unnoticed until candidates file their papers.