The ROC government has helped fund a television series, “Zero Day,” that imagines a mainland invasion of Taiwan.
Robert Tsao, founder of United Microelectronics Corporation, backed the series as well. Focus Taiwan recalls that Tsao also donated “NT$1 billion…in 2022 to Kuma Academy, a volunteer civilian training organization with a mission to ‘prepare a pre-war mentality for civilians and cultivate self-defense capability.’ ” (“NT$” is an abbreviation for “New Taiwan dollar.”)
Scary
A 17-minute trailer of the ten-part series has been released. If the comments posted on YouTube are any indication, the project may achieve its goal of encouraging Taiwanese viewers to better prepare for a potential invasion (“Preview Video of Taiwanese TV Series Zero Day Sparks Anxiety About a Chinese Invasion,” Time, July 26, 2024).
Taiwanese authorities have ramped up efforts to fortify defenses against rising Chinese aggression, including by extending compulsory military service from four to 12 months. Despite that, security analysts generally see the global chip hub as ill-prepared to deter or resist China, citing Taiwan’s shrinking military and number of voluntary soldiers.
“I burst into tears watching this. I feel heavy-hearted, and it’s scary. But this is what we need to face as Taiwanese,” wrote one YouTube user. “We need to make the best preparation for the worst scenario,” another commenter said.
The prospect of a cross-strait conflict has been present for decades, but is seldom addressed directly in Taiwanese TV shows, partly due to the topic’s sensitivity and risk of spooking investors in the global chip hub. The trailer’s release this week coincided with annual drills to prepare for an invasion by China.
“The threat is not something new, but we have been avoiding talking about it due to its sensitivity,” said Cheng Shin-mei, the producer of the series….
The nearly 18-minute-long trailer depicts a fictitious ploy by the PLA to mount a naval blockade of Taiwan in the guise of a search and rescue mission. It also shows cyberattacks disrupting infrastructure and sabotage by Beijing’s collaborators in the prelude to war.
Cheng is seeking a partnership with a major streaming platform to release the series internationally and thus draw more international attention to Taiwan’s plight.
A record
The story of the series may be imaginary, but the decades-long intimidation to which it is responding is not. For example, earlier this month, China sent “a record number of warplanes across a U.S.-drawn boundary in the Taiwan Strait…. Some 56 aircraft crossed the so-called median line….”
