As the Taipei mayoral race heats up, the issue of relocating Songshan Airport has come to the fore. It would be a plus for Taipei's urban development, but the Ministry of National Defense remains reserved about the military impact.

• Chiang Wan-an argues for relocating Songshan Airport, on the grounds that today's operational requirements differ from those of the past, and says he is willing to negotiate with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of National Defense.
• Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo responded that relocation involves many dimensions and requires careful assessment by the central and local governments together, adding that the ministry will ensure overall defence capacity is not affected.
• The current Songshan Airport site is also home to the Songshan Command, and whether relocation would affect its operations has become a key point of assessment.
• China is conducting simultaneous live-fire drills and military training in at least five maritime areas across the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, running from the 12th through the 17th — timing that follows Beijing's fierce criticism of Lai Ching-te's Double Ten address.
• Arrangements for a Taipei mayoral debate have also entered the negotiation stage, with both Chiang Wan-an and Shen Po-yang invited; the format and date are to be confirmed in the coming days.

Outlook: There will be no conclusion on the Songshan Airport relocation in the short term, as it remains at the central-local assessment stage, while the election campaign and the Chinese military's exercises will keep security issues on the boil.