In the Taipei mayoral race, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Shen Po-yang has gradually softened his position on the Twin-City Forum, shifting from calling for it to be discontinued to supporting its continuation under certain conditions — a relatively positive signal for cross-strait exchanges.

• Shen Po-yang set out three conditions: no political preconditions, substantive benefits, and public participation, adding that the existing framework for exchanges could be retained.
• He said that if the other side of the strait is willing to hold a forum without political preconditions, he would of course be willing to attend.
• His bottom lines are AI sovereignty and information security; there would be no talks if Beijing sought to gather intelligence, conduct united front work, or steal classified information.
• Prosecutors found that a Hong Kong individual had funded and commissioned a Taiwanese private investigation firm to conduct long-term surveillance of Shen Po-yang. Four people have been indicted, and Kuomintang city councillor Yang Chih-tou publicly apologised for having earlier mocked the matter.
• Both Chiang Wan-an and Shen Po-yang have agreed to take part in a televised debate, with the date still under negotiation.

Outlook: Whether the Twin-City Forum continues depends on whether Beijing is willing to accept the condition of "no political preconditions," while the focus of the campaign will shift to the upcoming televised debate.