Taiwanese TV present ‘Zero Day’ on potential Chinese invasion sparks fears of reprisal

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As China ramps up military drills around Taiwan, a new Taiwanese television series is hoping to depict not only what a Chinese invasion on the island nation may look like, but also the choices its residents would have in the event of war.

The 10-part show, titled Zero Day, is perhaps the first show in Taiwan that shows what an actual invasion by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would look like, a threat that has loomed over the island for decades.

Earlier this month, Taiwan saw days of heightened military activity; according to Taiwan’s defence ministry, China sent 10 military aircraft and seven aircraft toward Taiwan. China considers Taiwan as part of its territory, and president Xi Jinping has vowed to unify the island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Zero Day’s 17-minute trailer, which was released on 23 July 2024, made headlines in the media and has been viewed over two million times on YouTube.

The series’ plot begins with a Chinese warplane disappearing from the southern part of the Taiwan Strait, which China uses as a pretext to impose a total blockade on the island. Over the following week, Taiwan’s communications and financial systems crash and coupled with fake news and deep fakes, Taiwanese people are no longer sure what to believe. Even as chaos reigns, the Taiwanese navy finds a survivor from the Chinese plane and learns that the aircraft’s disappearance was planned a week before the titular zero day of the actual invasion.

“We thought there is freedom in Taiwan but in film and TV production we are restricted by China on many levels,” showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei told Reuters, adding that creators in Taiwan are often subjected to censors imposed by China.

“Our freedom is hard-earned,” she said. “The People’s Liberation Army has launched substantial incursions against us and they are getting closer and closer. We should look at this directly rather than pretending that it is not happening.”

“The existence of this series shows that there are investors and talents who are willing to resist China’s aggression, and there’s a market for them,” director Lo Ging Zim told CNN. “We are all worried and anxious about Taiwan’s present and future, and we hope to contribute what we can with our own skills.”

Over half the crew who worked on the series requested to stay anonymous, and some even pulled out at the last minute, worried over the repercussions for their career as well concerned for the safety of their families who live and work in China.

The crew of Zero Day includes 10 award-winning directors as well as Japanese actor Issei Takahashi, Hong Kong-Taiwanese actor Chapman To, Kaiser Chuang, Ko I-chen, and Lien Yu-han. Several global companies often ban entertainers from being critical of Beijing, a demand that is often written into their contracts, according to a report by The Guardian.

“If they want to continue their careers, they must sign a contract which restricts them,” said director Lo Ging-zim. He added that a prominent actor, who wanted to join the cast, requested that production be delayed till their contract ran out.

When developing the series, the show creators consulted with experts to figure out the most likely scenarios that would occur if an invasion really took place. The team was allowed to film in restricted areas, including the presidential office premises and a warship, and reportedly received funding from the Ministry of Culture under a broader initiative to support the Taiwanese film and television industry, as well as from tech billionaire Robert Tsao. One of Taiwan’s richest men, Tsao previously pledged $30.5 m of his own money in 2022 towards Taiwan’s defence.

Lo insisted that despite the funding and access to restricted areas, the government has not interfered with the script.

“Not a single word of the script had been modified by the government. This is not a political propaganda video or patriotic film,” he told CNN.

Comments on the trailer seem to have struck a chord with several people.

“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 a YouTube user, according to Time magazine.

“It helps Taiwanese to understand that we are facing a strong enemy trying to annex us and how we should be on guard with unity to face such an invasion,” 75-year-old Taipei resident Milton Lin told Reuters.

However, Zero Day has received some criticism for alleged fear mongering. The opposition Kuomintang party has called the series “government propaganda”, while others have called out the show for making the Taiwanese government look too inept in the face of China’s actions.

Zero Day, which has wrapped production, is expected to be broadcast in Taiwan next year. The team has said they are in talks with major streaming platforms for a potential international release.

As far as how Zero Day will be received, the team said they wanted it to show how the general populace has been desensitised to the actual threat of invasion.

“When it is shown visually, when it is happening in the streets and temples that people are familiar with, people have more real feelings and are willing to get up and do more … This way, there will be less chance of war,” said Lo.