Taiwan's opposition KMT held its National Day flag-raising in Kaohsiung for the first time, a clear signal it plans to fight for the ruling party's southern stronghold in year-end local elections.

• New KMT chair Cheng Li-wun told supporters in Kaohsiung to "flip southern Taiwan" at the ballot box by the end of the year.
• She aimed directly at the DPP's dominant New Tide faction, saying Kaohsiung's future should not be held hostage by it.
• The party's southern candidates — Ko Chih-en in Kaohsiung, Hsieh Lung-chieh in Tainan, Su Ching-chuan in Pingtung — all appeared alongside her.
• Her pitch leaned on peace: with tension across the strait rising and war a real risk, she argued the KMT has to protect Taiwan's democracy and prosperity, because war would wipe it all out.
• She framed the KMT as the builder of modern Taiwan, from postwar land reform to the export zones, the chip industry and national health insurance.

Outlook: Expect the KMT to keep pouring resources into Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung, running on peace and cross-strait stability as its core message into the year-end vote.