A Chinese invasion of Taiwan and the internal contradictions it could trigger are depicted in a 17-minute-long trailer of Zero Day, an upcoming Taiwanese television series. The story concept appears to resonate with people because it reveals the real situation in Taiwan and signs of division.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) figures said the show’s premise made it a form of brainwashing, while the United Daily News said the show was “forcing the public into a war.”
To evoke such a huge reaction, the series probably presents a full picture of China’s military threat, and the possible danger and challenge brought by it.
The most meaningful implication of the show is that the greatest danger is not an invasion, but that Taiwanese are not able to recognize the signs of a crisis and guard against the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political infiltration.
The greatest value of the drama would be to raise the sense of crisis among Taiwanese and unveil the CCP’s use of infiltration tactics.
Being vigilant in peacetime means preparing for danger. Lacking a sense of crisis puts a country in a situation where it might defeat itself.
To avoid a war, people must know the enemy. A nation thrives in calamity and perishes in soft living.
Describing the show as war-provoking gives the CCP cover for its ambition to wage war on Taiwan and portrays the government as a troublemaker.
Chen Chi-nung is a political commentator.
Translated by Fion Khan
As it has striven toward superiority in most measures of the Asian military balance, China is now ready to challenge the undersea balance of power, long dominated by the United States, a decisive advantage crucial to its ability to deter blockade and invasion of Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). America expended enormous treasure to develop the technology, logistics, training, and personnel to emerge victorious in the Cold War undersea struggle against the former Soviet Union, and to remain superior today; the US is not used to considering the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)
The annual summit of East Asia and other events around the ASEAN summit in October and November every year have become the most important gathering of leaders in the Indo-Pacific region. This year, as Laos is the chair of ASEAN, it was privileged to host all of the ministerial and summit meetings associated with ASEAN. Besides the main summit, this included the high-profile East Asia Summit, ASEAN summits with its dialogue partners and the ASEAN Plus Three Summit with China, Japan and South Korea. The events and what happens around them have changed over the past 15 years from a US-supported, ASEAN-led
President William Lai’s (賴清德) first Double Ten National Day address had two strategic goals. For domestic affairs, the speech aimed to foster consensus on national identity, strengthen the country and unite the Taiwanese against a Chinese invasion. In terms of cross-strait relations, the speech aimed to mitigate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and promote the coexistence and prosperity of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in China and the Republic of China (ROC). Lai is taking a different stance from previous Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administrations on domestic political issues. During his speech, he said: “The PRC could not be the
National defense plans are generally focused on preparing to defend against the military aggression of an adversary. In the case of Taiwan, such plans center on China, which possesses a dramatically larger and more powerful military. However, a recent tabletop exercise conducted by the Taiwan Center for Security Studies and other institutions revealed several nonmilitary vulnerabilities in Taiwan, particularly in the areas of economics, cybersecurity and energy. The exercise, set in 2032 and simulating crises such as cross-strait tensions and global conflicts, demonstrated that modern conflicts often extend beyond traditional military aggression, underscoring the need for new defense strategies and continuous