Propaganda or fair warning? Taiwanese TV show imagines Chinese invasion

A 17-minute trailer posted online last year by the production team swiftly racked up hundreds of thousands of views and comments.

While some praised it for its message, others criticised it 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-wei, a prominent lawmaker from the opposition Kuomintang party, criticised Zero Day Attack as "selling dried mangoes", a Taiwanese euphemism that means stoking unnecessary fear about the destruction of one's country.

Pointing to the government's funding of the show, Ms Wang said the DPP was "using the state apparatus to achieve its political goals".

A commentary by Wang Kunyi of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society accused the show of pushing Taiwan independence "so that Taiwan becomes a place that never knows peace".

He added that it was evidence of Lai's government "once again using all kinds of channels to play the 'anti-Communist card' and stir up anxiety of war".

The DPP and Lai are often accused by their critics, including the opposition and China, as pushing for Taiwan's independence. Any formal declaration as such would be considered as an act of war by Beijing.

While Lai has in the past described himself as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan's independence", he has also insisted Taiwan has no need to formally declare independence because it is already a sovereign nation.

The discussion around the show goes to the heart of one of Taiwan's most existential questions: how real is the threat of a Chinese invasion?

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

Polls show that most Taiwanese do not believe Beijing will attack imminently, and prefer the "status quo" in Taiwan's relationship with China, which means neither unifying with Beijing nor formally declaring independence.

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

Chinese grey zone warfare has spiked, raising fears that Chinese warplanes and ships repeatedly entering Taiwan's airspace and waters could trigger a conflict.

The US warned this year that China poses an "imminent threat" to Taiwan. American officials have repeatedly claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping is building up his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.

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