A Chinese fighter jet crashes off the coast of Taiwan, leading to a Chinese naval blockade under the guise of “search and rescue” operations.
On Dadan Island, a Taiwanese outpost just kilometers from mainland China, soldiers begin to mysteriously disappear.
One night, a fishing boat arrives at Dadan. A flare illuminates the sky, revealing Chinese soldiers disembarking and massing on the beach.
This is a key scenario in “Zero Day Attack,” a new Taiwanese television series depicting a fictional Chinese military invasion. Beijing views Taiwan as a part of its territory, vowing eventual “reunification,” potentially by force.
The series, which premiered recently, received partial funding from the Taiwanese government, aiming to raise awareness of the perceived threat from China.
However, the show’s release has sparked controversy, with some critics accusing it of fear-mongering during a sensitive period.
“Zero Day Attack” explores how various segments of Taiwanese society, from the president to rural residents, respond to the invasion.
The anthology series presents multiple invasion scenarios, developed with input from defense experts.
These include disruptions to Taiwan’s communication infrastructure, Chinese disinformation campaigns, “fifth column” activities by pro-China elements, and collaboration by compromised military officials.
Showrunner Cheng Hsin-mei told the BBC that her goal was to “warn the Taiwanese people that the war is really coming,” citing China’s increasing use of “disinformation campaigns and grey zone warfare to put our society in chaos and make us confused about our identity”.
“Zero Day Attack” aligns with the rhetoric of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and President William Lai, who have cautioned against Chinese threats and emphasized the need to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses.
Taiwan’s culture ministry partially funded the project, with the military providing filming and production support. Chunghwa Telecoms, Taiwan’s largest telecommunications company with government ownership, also contributed.
Private investors include billionaire Robert Tsao, a prominent advocate for Taiwanese independence who has supported civil defense initiatives.
Ms. Cheng stated that authorities did not attempt to influence the show’s content and that she is not affiliated with the DPP or any political party.
Despite this, “Zero Day Attack” has become a political flashpoint due to its sensitive subject matter.
A 17-minute trailer released online garnered hundreds of thousands of views and comments.
While some praised its message, others criticized it for fostering anxiety and discord with China.
This debate intensified with the series premiere, which the production company reports was the most-watched show on multiple platforms on its debut night.
Wang Hung-wei, a legislator from the opposition Kuomintang party, criticized “Zero Day Attack” for “selling dried mangoes,” a Taiwanese idiom for stoking unnecessary fear about national destruction.
Ms. Wang, referencing the government’s funding, accused the DPP of “using the state apparatus to achieve its political goals.”
Wang Kunyi of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society accused the show of promoting Taiwan independence “so that Taiwan becomes a place that never knows peace”.
He further asserted that it evidenced Lai’s administration “once again using all kinds of channels to play the ‘anti-Communist card’ and stir up anxiety of war”.
The DPP and Lai are frequently accused by critics, including the opposition and China, of advocating for Taiwan’s independence, a move Beijing has stated would constitute an act of war.
While Lai has previously described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan’s independence,” he maintains that Taiwan does not need to formally declare independence because it is already a sovereign nation.
“Zero Day Attack” has also received positive reviews. A review published by the public broadcaster PTS stated that it “expresses the worries and anxieties of Taiwanese from various political camps in a highly realistic and reasonable way”.
“It’s a good watch,” said a commenter on the show’s Facebook page. “The Taiwanese people can relate to it as it reflects our current situation, the Chinese Communist Party must be repulsed as their tactics have been exposed.”
Some praised the first episode for depicting the invasion quietly unfolding amidst a contentious presidential election marked by violence and political infighting.
Viewers noted the uncanny resemblance of the episode to the current fractious mood in Taiwanese politics. Last month, the island held a controversial failed recall vote of Kuomintang lawmakers accused of being too friendly with China, with another round scheduled later this month.
This has led to questions about the show’s timing and potential influence on the recall votes. Ms. Cheng stated that production began long before the recall movement started.
The discussion surrounding the show highlights one of Taiwan’s most fundamental questions: the reality of a potential Chinese invasion.
Taiwan has maintained its own government since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The decades that followed saw largely peaceful relations and growing economic ties with China.
Polls suggest that most Taiwanese do not believe an imminent attack is likely and prefer the “status quo,” which entails neither unification with Beijing nor a formal declaration of independence.
However, the question of a Chinese invasion has become more prominent and politically charged in recent years.
Chinese grey zone warfare has increased, raising concerns that repeated incursions of Chinese warplanes and ships into Taiwan’s airspace and waters could trigger a conflict.
The US has warned that China poses an “imminent threat” to Taiwan. American officials have repeatedly asserted that Chinese President Xi Jinping is building up his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.
Beijing has not confirmed this timeline. However, Lai takes the warning seriously.
He has pledged to increase Taiwan’s military spending, implement reforms in the armed forces, and last month, Taiwan conducted its largest and longest ever Han Kuang drills, aimed at defending against a potential Chinese attack.
Lai has emphasized that these efforts are to protect Taiwan and not to seek war. His political opponents, however, argue that he is antagonizing Beijing, which views him as a “separatist,” and leading Taiwan toward greater conflict with China.
Beijing has consistently reiterated its commitment to “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, dismissing talk of a Chinese invasion as a pretext fabricated by proponents of Taiwan independence to garner support.
“Zero Day Attack” has been viewed as such a provocation. Chinese defense ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang accused the DPP government of using the show to “peddle anxieties and attempting to provoke war”.
He stated that “Zero Day Attack” was “plunging Taiwan into the flames of war and using the Taiwan people as cannon fodder for ‘Taiwan independence'”.
Ms. Cheng maintains that her show is “not talking bad about China or depicting it as evil”.
“We are talking about war, and how Taiwanese people struggle and respond to it. And that’s because the terror of war has never stopped, all over the world.”
Additional reporting by Joyce Lee of BBC Chinese.
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