Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council is downplaying the Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum ahead of Taipei's mayoral election, and DPP candidate Shen Po-yang is backing that stance — a setback for Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who wants the December event to go ahead.

• The Mainland Affairs Council let lower-level Shanghai officials visit Taipei to plan the forum but refused entry to a deputy head of Shanghai's Taiwan Affairs Office, drawing criticism from Chiang.
• Council spokesman Liang Wen-chieh fired back that the forum should not be treated as so important, and said no decision on timing makes sense until Taipei knows who its mayor will be after the November election.
• Shen agrees, saying that if the forum keeps coming with political preconditions and delivers no benefits, public participation, or follow-up, he would not hold it as mayor.
• Shen wants Taipei to focus on exchanges with more cities around the world, with Shanghai and Beijing as just two of many options, and only without political strings attached.
• He left the door open to a better-designed forum that protects Taiwan's sovereignty and genuinely strengthens both sides, framing the choice as a question of cost-effectiveness.

Outlook: The forum's fate now hinges on the November 28 mayoral election — a Shen win would likely mean it is shelved or reworked, while a Chiang win keeps the fight with the central government going.