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
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not