The opening ceremony for the Democratic Progressive Party's recently launched Lienchiang County Chapter will take place on Oct. 24. Hopefully, the new office will foster new perspectives, as the DPP seeks to build more support in offshore island counties in the Taiwan Strait.

There has been a 20-year hiatus since the DPP last opened a new party chapter, with the previous addition being Kinmen County, also an offshore county next to China's Fujian Province.

Major issues in the area include maritime environmental protection, transportation, infrastructure, development of tourism, as well as cross-strait relations & security.

While the KMT has long enjoyed a vast advantage over the DPP in the islands - in part because of their close geographical and cultural proximity to China - the DPP's share of votes has grown significantly in 2020.

Increasing inter-party competition among the islands would signify success for the DPP in attracting diverse voters beyond its traditional base, while also refute China's claims that democracy is "unsuitable for Chinese culture."