Cooperation between Taiwan's two opposition parties has formally broken down in Hsinchu County, bad news for the blue-white camp, which had hoped to use consolidation to take on the DPP.

• The Taiwan People's Party has resolved that elections at all levels in Hsinchu County will no longer be bound by its 2026 cooperation agreement with the Kuomintang, leaving it free to choose its own partners.
• Party members who publicly endorse, appear at rallies for, or campaign on behalf of candidates not nominated by the TPP face penalties up to and including expulsion from the party.
• The trigger was a failure to agree on a candidate for Zhubei mayor, with the TPP accusing the KMT's Hsinchu County magistrate candidate Hsu Hsin-ying of reneging on a promise; Hsu denies having made any commitment.
• When KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun accompanied her to register, former county magistrate Fan Chen-tsung berated her on the spot and made as if to strike out, drawing further attention to the rifts within the party.
• Hsu's camp maintains that the goal of blue-white cooperation is unchanged and that it will redouble its efforts to bring about opposition unity.

Outlook: With less than three months to go before the November 28 local elections, if the blue and white camps cannot repair mutual trust, Hsinchu County could see the opposition split its vote and turn on itself.