Taiwan's ruling party is being told not to celebrate too early in the Taipei mayoral contest, even though its candidate is performing better than expected.

• President Lai Ching-te, who also chairs the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), told party members the Taipei race is "not yet won" and only trailing by a small margin, urging caution instead of overconfidence.
• DPP legislative caucus leaders said Taipei has traditionally been tough turf for the DPP, not for the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), so the party needs to keep fighting hard rather than relax.
• DPP candidate Su Tseng-chang (沈伯洋) has reportedly outperformed expectations and put real pressure on KMT incumbent-aligned contender Chiang Wan-an, but with about a month left before voting, the race remains unsettled.
• Lai also asked party officials and candidates to avoid mocking opponents on political talk shows, after a KMT legislative leader struck a notably downbeat tone about Taipei being a hard fight for his own side.
• DPP officials distanced the party from a talk-show host's combative remarks, saying commentators' opinions don't represent the official campaign.

Outlook: With voting about a month away, both parties are bracing for a close, closely watched Taipei mayoral race rather than treating it as decided.