A Taiwanese TV host's sudden Weibo post distancing himself from Taiwan independence is being called a sign that China is reaching into Taipei's mayoral race, and Taipei candidate Shen Bo-yang says it's painful to watch.

Host Kevin Tsai posted on Chinese social media saying he wants good cross-strait relations and has never backed Taiwan independence, after facing backlash in China for attending the campaign launch of DPP Taipei candidate Shen Bo-yang. Shen says Taiwanese people should be free to attend any political event they want without China punishing them for it.

Shen pointed out the post hit the top trending spot on Weibo, which in his view usually means Beijing's censors had a hand in pushing it — suggesting the timing, right before rival candidate Chiang Wan-an's own campaign launch, wasn't really Tsai's own choice. He frames it as China interfering not in the vote itself, but in ordinary Taiwanese people's freedom to make their own choices.

Separately, Shen is prepping for this week's mayoral debate with government advisors, mainly working on pacing and keeping answers short rather than new attack lines. He's also defending a city-planning proposal to "stitch together" areas cut off by elevated highways, after rivals Ko Wen-je and Li Si-chuan mocked the idea — Shen says city records show the concept was already part of Taipei's own planning documents.

Outlook: Expect the cross-strait interference narrative and debate performance to dominate the final stretch of the Taipei mayoral race.