Taipei:Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has agreed to participate in at least one televised debate with his opponent, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen. This decision comes after weeks of speculation and questions regarding his willingness to engage in a debate.

According to Focus Taiwan, reporters had been inquiring for weeks about Chiang's readiness to debate Shen. Although Chiang, a member of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), initially refrained from commenting, he announced on Monday his agreement to a televised debate, citing it as a common practice in Taipei mayoral races.

Shen expressed enthusiasm for the debates, stating during a radio interview that "the more debates, the better." On Tuesday, Chiang remarked that he hoped the two parties could soon agree on a date for the first debate and mentioned his openness to a second or third debate.

Shen later proposed dates of October 24, October 31, and November 7 for potential debates and urged Chiang's campaign to confirm their availability. Both campaigns agreed to have the first debate jointly hosted by TVBS and SET TV, featuring segments where the candidates will respond to each other's initial statements and answer questions. Additionally, Liberty Times, CTV, TTV, FTV, CTS, and Mnews have extended an invitation for a second debate to be jointly hosted by them.

In Taichung, DPP mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun announced her agreement to participate in three televised debates hosted by five media outlets. Her opponent, Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang, conveyed through his campaign that he is open to holding debates and will inform voters of his decision after internal discussions.