This is Taiwan-China political friction ahead of local elections, bad news for Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Bo-yang's campaign and for cross-strait relations generally.

• TV host Cai Kangyong appeared at a Democratic Progressive Party campaign event and got attacked by Chinese state media and the Taiwan Affairs Office; he then posted that he never supported Taiwan independence, but Beijing said that still isn't good enough and wants him to prove it through future actions.
• Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council compared this to China's treatment of French soccer star Kylian Mbappé, who apologized for remarks seen as insulting China but was told his apology wasn't enough either — officials called this a repeated pattern where Beijing pressures someone into a statement, then demands even more concessions afterward.
• With 30 days left before Taiwan's local elections, campaign dirty tricks are escalating: a rival campaign is accused of spreading fake poll graphics in Hsinchu, and Taipei's incumbent mayor's team filed police reports over fake fundraising sites and counterfeit campaign merchandise.
• Taiwan's election commission admitted a data breach exposed candidates' ID numbers, including Taipei's mayor and the DPP's Taipei candidate, with the commission chair publicly apologizing and insisting it won't affect the vote.
• A military bullying scandal involving a soldier's death is creating political heat, with a KMT legislator and the defense minister clashing angrily in parliament over whether the case is being taken seriously.

Outlook: Expect continued tit-for-tat accusations and scandal stories to intensify as Taiwan's local elections approach in late November.