Tsai and Lai rally behind Puma Shen, urging strong unity against cognitive warfare

Taiwan's election atmosphere is gradually heating up with the rollout of various campaign rallies, with the race in the capital city of Taipei drawing particular nationwide attention. Puma Shen, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for Taipei mayor, grandly held his campaign headquarters opening rally today, drawing a massive crowd of supporters and demonstrating strong grassroots cohesion and mobilization energy. This rally is not only an important milestone in Shen's personal campaign, but it also welcomed heavyweight guests who have captured intense political attention. Former President Tsai Ing-wen made a surprise appearance at the venue, taking the stage alongside President Lai Ching-te, who also serves as the DPP chairperson. The two core leaders of the DPP personally appeared and jointly held up Shen's hands while chanting slogans for his victory, which not only signals strong intra-party solidarity but also provides a major boost to Shen's mayoral campaign in Taipei.

During the speech segment of the event, President and party Chairperson Lai Ching-te specifically addressed Shen's campaign strategy and the severe situation of the current race. Lai highly commended Shen for consistently adhering to a positive, rational, and constructive electoral approach since entering the race, winning voter recognition through policies and ideals rather than falling into traditional negative mudslinging. However, shifting his tone, Lai sternly pointed out that although Shen's team insists on a positive campaign, the invisible smoke of battle has already quietly risen. He specifically reminded supporters and the general public that cognitive warfare targeting this election has actually begun long ago, with various pieces of disinformation, smearing, and interference tactics attempting to influence voters' judgment through different channels.

To counter this invisible yet pervasive cognitive warfare, Lai used a vivid metaphor in his speech, calling on all supporters and Taiwanese society to forge a consensus. He hopes that supporting forces can unite tightly like a powerful "ocean current," and through mutual connection and firm conviction, form an unshakable mainstream public opinion that will not be easily washed away by external countercurrents or deliberate shifts in public opinion. Lai's remarks are not only a strong personal endorsement of Shen but also an important reminder to the democratic camp when facing complex electoral interference, highlighting the critical importance of unity and upholding democratic values in the current election.

From a macro political background, Taipei has always been a fiercely contested battleground in Taiwanese politics, with a highly challenging voter structure and media environment. The DPP's nomination of Shen for Taipei mayor carries profound strategic considerations. Shen has long cultivated civil society and specific professional fields, possessing a deep foundation of discourse and social recognition regarding the prevention of foreign force infiltration, the study of cognitive warfare, and the defense of Taiwan's democracy and freedom. Therefore, when he transforms these professional concerns into actual municipal visions and campaign actions, it inherently carries a strong sense of democratic defense and value confrontation. This also explains why Lai specifically mentioned "cognitive warfare" at the rally: Shen's background makes him a focal point of intense scrutiny from day one, and more susceptible to becoming a target of public opinion attacks launched by specific camps and forces.

With the official establishment of his campaign headquarters, Shen's Taipei mayoral campaign has officially entered the next highly intense phase. Backed by the presence of former President Tsai Ing-wen and the organizational mobilization called for by President Lai Ching-te, the DPP has displayed a long-unseen high morale in Taipei. Facing increasingly complex electoral changes ahead and the expected challenges of various forms of cognitive warfare, whether Shen's team can successfully unite the "ocean current" hoped for by the two party leaders, break through the encirclement in the capital's race, and win the recognition and support of a majority of citizens will not only test the candidate's own electoral wisdom and adaptability, but will also become an important indicator for observing the interaction between Taiwan's democratic defense mechanisms and local elections.