Taiwanese TV show presents a Chinese invasion and Debate of Stoks

A Chinese airplane fighter crashes in the waters off the coast of Taiwan, prompting Chinese warships to block the island for “search and rescue”.

Taiwanese soldiers Manning Island Dadan, a rocky exit just kilometers from the shore of China, begin to disappear mysteriously.

Then one night the fishing boat lands on Dadan. The signal flares up arcs in the ink sky – and illuminates the Chinese soldiers who have spilled from the boat and accumulated on the beach.

This is the key scenario for a zero daily attack, a new Taiwanese television show for a fictional Chinese military invasion. Beijing has long considered a self -governed Taiwan as part of his territory, promising to “unite” with it someday, while not excluding the use of power.

The series, which broadcast its first episode over the weekend, was partially funded by the Taiwanese government, which hopes to raise awareness of the threat of China.

But the show also landed at a very separation moment in Taiwan and attracted criticism of intensifying fear.

The zero -living room attack focuses on how different parts of Taiwanese society fight the invasion, from the president to the village peasants.

The anthology series includes several scenarios on how the invasion provided by defense experts consulted by the production team can be deployed.

These include interruption of Taiwan’s communication lines; Chinese misinformation campaigns; Proponents of China’s Fifth Column who stir excitement; And military officials have turned associates who have talked against Taiwan.

Showrunner Cheng Hsin-Mei told the BBC that he wanted to make the series to “warn Taiwanese that the war really is coming,” citing China’s growing use of “misinformation campaigns and war in the gray area to put our society in chaos and to confuse our identity.”

The message of the zero day attack sounds the rhetoric of the ruling democratic progressive party (DPP), led by leader William Lai government, who warned of China’s threat and preached the need to raise the island’s defenses.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Culture partially financed an attack with a zero day, while the military provided support for photos and production. Chunghwa Telecoms, the largest telecommunications company in Taiwan, in which the government has a share of minorities, has also contributed to funding.

Other private investors include billionaire Robert Cao, a well -known supporter of Taiwanese independence who has Funded Civil Protection effortsS

D -Jong told the BBC that at no time, authorities were trying to influence the show. She also said she was not a member of DPP or any political party.

But even before an episode was broadcast, the zero -living room attack became political lightning, given the loaded topic.

The 17-minute trailer published online last year by the production team quickly picked up hundreds of thousands of views and comments.

While some praised him for his message, others criticized him for sowing anxiety and discord with China.

This debate has intensified with the series premiere, which was the most watched show on several platforms on Saturday, according to the production company.

In recent days, Wang Hung-Uw, a prominent legislator from the opposition party Quomintang, criticized the zero daily attack such as “Sale of Dried Mango”, Taiwanese euphemism, which means to rely unnecessary fear of destroying someone’s country.

By pointing to the funding of the show’s government, Da -ja Wang said DPP “uses the state apparatus to achieve its political goals.”

A commentary by Wang Kuni of the Taiwanese International Society for Strategic Research has accused the show of pressing Taiwan’s independence “so Taiwan becomes a place that never knows peace.”

He added that this was proof of the Lai government “once again, using all kinds of channels to play the” anti -communist card “and to rebel the disturbance of the war.”

DPP and LAI are often accused by their critics, including the opposition and China, insisting on Taiwan’s independence. Any formal declaration as such will be considered an act of war by Beijing.

While Lai in the past described himself as a “Taiwan’s Pragmatic Worker”, he also insisted that Taiwan did not need to officially declare independence as he was already a sovereign nation.

The zero living room attack also won positive reviews. A PTS publicly published by the public television operator said he “expresses the concerns and concerns of Taiwanese from different political camps in an extremely realistic and reasonable way.”

“This is a good watch,” said a commentator on Attack Attack’s Facebook page. “Taiwanese can contact it as they reflect our current situation. The Chinese Communist Party must be repelled as their tactics have been exposed.”

Some praised the first episode that depicts the invasion, which quietly begins against the backdrop of controversial presidential elections marked by violence and political fighting.

They were struck by how much did this episode reflected A present gentle mood in Taiwanese policyS Last month the island took place a contradictory abandonment vote to recall Quomintang’s legislators are accused of being too friendly to China. Another round will take place later this month.

This led to questions about the show’s time and if it was intended to influence the download votes. D -Jong told the BBC that the production of the show began long before the recall.

The discussion about the show goes to the basis of one of Taiwan’s most existential questions: How real is the threat of Chinese invasion?

Taiwan has had its own government since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. In the coming decades, the island has largely seen peaceful relations and stronger economic ties with China.

Polls show that most Taiwans do not believe that Beijing will attack immediately and prefer the “status quo” in Taiwan’s relationship with China, which means neither uniting with Beijing nor officially declares independence.

But the question of Chinese invasion has become more oster and more political in recent years.

Sinews Zone war has come, raising fears that Chinese military aircraft and ships have repeatedly entered the airspace and Taiwan’s waters can cause conflict.

The United States warned this year that China is an “immediate threat” to Taiwan. US officials have repeatedly claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping is building his military so that he can invade Taiwan until 2027.

Beijing has never confirmed this date. But this is a warning that Lai takes seriously.

He promised to increase Taiwan’s military spending, his government made reforms in the army, and last month Taiwan organized his The largest and the longest workouts of Khan Quang so far aimed at protecting against a possible Chinese attack.

Lai stressed that these efforts are aimed at protecting Taiwan and not to seek warS However, his political opponents say that he counteracts Beijing, who rethinks Lai as a “separatist” and that he leads Taiwan to a greater conflict with China.

Beijing repeatedly emphasizes that he is looking for a “peaceful union” with Taiwan. He rejected any talk of a Chinese invasion as a pretext produced by those who in favor of Taiwan’s independence to improve support.

The zero -living room attack is seen as such a provocation. Last week, China’s Defense Spokesman Jan Xiaogang accused the DPP government of using the show to “split anxieties and to try to provoke war.”

He said the zero -living room attack was “immersed Taiwan in the flames of war and used the Taiwanese people as a fodder for a” Taiwanese independence. “

However, Cheng insisted that her show “doesn’t speak bad about China or portrays it as evil.”

“We are talking about war and how Taiwanese people fight and react to it. And this is because the terror of war has never stopped all over the world.”

Additional reporting by Joyce Lee of BBC Chinese.