Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an spoke at the opening of Taiwan People's Party city councillor Chang Chih-hao's campaign headquarters on September 12, drawing surprise from within his own Kuomintang. It was his first time on stage for a TPP candidate and the first joint KMT-TPP rally in Taipei, PTS reported. "Brothers climb the mountain together, brothers strive together," Chiang said, describing a shared goal of maximising "blue and white" seats, meaning KMT and TPP seats, in this year's election.
What did Chiang say about Chang? At the morning event in Wenshan district, Chiang said Chang and his TPP caucus colleagues had given the city government advice and support in the council, helping it complete the Taipei Dome and bring Nvidia to the city, the Liberty Times reported. He said they had also come through the mass recall together and had taken to the streets side by side on July 25 to protect food safety.
Why was the appearance contentious? The KMT's Taipei chapter had earlier barred Chiang from campaigning alone for TPP candidates, so the event raised questions over whether he had broken that ban, PTS reported. TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang said there was "really no need to be so grim and so tense," and that the party would take it calmly if Chiang's schedule let him accept invitations from other council candidates. Although Chiang stressed that his own party's candidates were also excellent, KMT Taipei city councillor Tseng Hsien-ying said the move was surprising, differed from an earlier understanding that Chiang would appear only at TPP "joint rallies," and could still have some impact on candidates in each district. Chien Shu-pei, a Democratic Progressive Party city councillor, said the KMT's "mother hen and chicks" were "completely separated, body and soul," and that its campaign momentum was weaker than before, citing Weng Hsiao-ling and 
Cheng Li-wun.
What else was on Chiang's schedule? Chiang went on to a support-group gathering in Shilin district, where former Taipei City Council speaker Wu Pi-chu, who has faded from politics, made a rare appearance to back him, the Liberty Times reported. At noon he attended the launch of support groups for hometown associations, overseas Chinese and new immigrants, then headed to Xindian district for a fellowship meal of a Taipei reserve military police association. KMT chair Cheng turned up to back him at the overseas Chinese and new immigrant launch, but the two missed each other by 10 minutes and did not share the stage, PTS reported.
Figures referenced: Cheng Li-wun. — JudgeMarket.
