Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen has opened the door to a 2028 presidential bid, staying noncommittal but clearly pushing for opposition integration — a signal of pressure on the DPP's bid for another term.

• Lu said she has not decided whether to run and will serve out her term as mayor, but stressed that "2028 should be something we all go out and challenge together."
• She in turn named Huang Kuo-chang as someone who also has supporters backing him for president, arguing that the opposition should first discuss unity and avoid one-party dominance, so as to prevent the kind of infighting within the camp seen in 2024.
• Ko Wen-je, for his part, was dismissive of the popularity of Shen Po-yang, the DPP's candidate for Taipei mayor, likening it to the puffed-up quality of the "Han wave" of years past.
• A Reuters report said that if the DPP wins a fourth term in 2028 and Lai Ching-te is re-elected, Beijing's willingness to use force would rise markedly.
• Military pressure is mounting in parallel: on the eve of China's National Day, the PLA sent multiple types of aircraft and naval vessels to harass Taiwan, with some crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and approaching the 24-nautical-mile line. The first batch of F-16 Block 70 jets Taiwan purchased from the United States is expected to arrive at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung.

Outlook: The opposition camp will not put forward a single candidate in the near term, and the focus of the contest will fall on the form and conditions of "unity and joint governance."