Two of the ruling Kuomintang's (KMT's) candidates in November's mayoral elections in Xinbei City and Kaohsiung City, jointly launched their campaigns Wednesday and vowed to win the races through a show of unity. Eric Liluan Chu and Huang Chao-shun unveiled their joint campaign theme of 'building both Xinbei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south into trade and commerce hubs' at a ceremony presided over by Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Chuang Chi-wang at the council headquarters. Chu and Huang pledged to achieve the goal of boosting regional development through joint efforts and described the two areas as complementary. Chu said he is capable of creating a sound investment environment to lure back the many foreign-based Taiwan businessmen who have left the areas. 'I am poised to create a win-win situation for both southern and northern Taiwan,' he said. Huang for her part promised to make Kaohsiung into a trade and commerce hub for air and sea transport in the Asia-Pacific region, helping the city regain the vigor and prosperity it enjoyed 10 years ago. The mayoral elections will take place Nov. 27 in five special municipalities -- Taipei City, Xinbei City, Taichung City, Tainan City and Kaohsiung City -- whose populations together account for 70 percent of the country's total. The races are widely viewed as a bellwether for the 2012 presidential election at a time when President Ma Ying-jeou's approval ratings have sunk to a low ebb. 