"Zero day," an upcoming Taiwanese TV series, depicts a hypothetical Chinese offensive against Taiwan, including scenarios such as a naval blockade, cyberattacks, financial collapse, social unrest, and a full-blown invasion.
The series was funded by the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture, tech billionaire Robert Tsao, and produced in cooperation with Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.
A nearly 18-minute trailer has garnered over 390,000 views, sparking discussions about military readiness and preparedness. Its release coincided with annual air raid drills in Taiwan.
The series aims to raise awareness of Taiwan's security challenges by releasing it on an international streaming platform. Tsao pledged significant funds to train 3 million civilian soldiers.
Some actors and directors withdrew from the project due to fears of offending China and contractual restrictions on sensitive topics.
The series aims to provide a realistic look at Beijing's cognitive warfare tactics, incitement of unrest, and exploitation of software flaws while promoting unity and defense of Taiwan's values.
The release of the trailer coincided with annual air raid drills in Taiwan, sparking emotional responses and a sense of urgency among viewers.
The series stars Hong Kong actor Chapman To, who plays a villain sent by the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate Taiwan. The cast includes Japanese actor Issei Takahashi, Hong Kong-Taiwanese actor Lien Yu-han, Kaiser Chuang, and Ko I-chen.
Beijing opposes Taiwan's independence efforts and has increased military pressure in the Taiwan Strait, while the DPP leader William Lai emphasizes the importance of Taiwan's identity. China asserts Taiwan as its territory and has been increasing pressure on Taipei, with Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighting unification with Taiwan as inevitable, even through force. The CIA director believes Xi is preparing his military to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027.
Taiwan extended compulsory military service to one year to strengthen its defense capabilities.
The Kuomintang (KMT) party criticized the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for shaping public opinion and promoting their agenda through the Ministry of Culture, with some viewing the trailer as psychological warfare portraying mainland control over Taiwan before invasion.
Talks on the release of the series on international streaming platforms are ongoing.
Robert Tsao, founder of United Microelectronics Corp., invested in the drama and highlighted the importance of Taiwanese people's preparation in times of crisis. He also donated NT$1 billion to Kuma Academy, a civilian training organization, to cultivate self-defense capability and a pre-war mentality in civilians.
The miniseries began production in March with a planned debut next year.
Sources: Newsweek, SCMP, Bloomberg, Taiwan News, The Straits Times, Benzinga, Newsmax, Yahoo, Economic Times, Deadline, Taipei Times, RFA, Focus Taiwan
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
