Key facts
- Shen said even a Chiang win would be a slap to China because it proves democracy works in Taiwan.
- Shen said he would continue the Taipei-Shanghai forum if no political preconditions or harassment were attached.
- Chiang Wan-an has been Taipei mayor since 2022 and his campaign team did not respond to a request for comment.
- China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment on the mayoral race.
- Shen said police in Chongqing had never tried to contact him over the separatism probe.
Puma Shen, the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate for Taipei mayor, told Reuters that the November 28 local election would demonstrate that democracy works in Taiwan regardless of the result, in an interview at his legislative office during the week before November 6, 2026.
Shen is trying to win back the capital for the DPP for the first time in three decades. He faces incumbent mayor Chiang Wan-an of the Kuomintang, who has held office since 2022. Some polls have put Shen within striking distance of Chiang or ahead of him, according to the report. Chiang's campaign team did not respond to a request for comment.
"For me, even if Chiang Wan-an got elected, it's also a slap to China," Shen said. "Because we proved that democracy works here in Taiwan and we're not interfered (with) by China." He added that his own election would be a victory "because of democracy."
Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory in claims Taipei rejects, calls Shen a separatist. Police in the Chinese city of Chongqing said in 2025 they had opened a probe into him over separatism charges. China's legal system has no jurisdiction in Taiwan, but Beijing has sanctioned senior Taiwanese officials including Shen and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim. The Chongqing government did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation, and Shen said police there had never contacted him.
China refuses to talk to President Lai Ching-te, calling him a separatist; Lai says only Taiwan's people can decide their future. The annual Taipei-Shanghai city forum is the main remaining high-level government interaction between the two sides. Shen said he would be willing to continue the forum provided no political preconditions or harassment were attached, and that China was probably weighing what to do about the event if he became mayor.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. Referring to Shen in October 2026, it said "diehard" separatists "have no qualifications to speak glibly of cross-strait exchanges and cooperation."
Shen was previously known for his work on Chinese disinformation and as co-founder of the Kuma Academy, which runs civil defense courses on preparing for a possible attack from Beijing. He said his campaign focused on everyday issues rather than China because he is running for mayor, not president.