LEILA FADEL, HOST:
China has repeatedly said it could invade Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory. What would an invasion actually look like, though? An upcoming television show in Taiwan imagines just that. NPR's Emily Feng tells us why people in Taiwan would even want to watch such a show.
(SOUNDBITE OF HELICOPTER)
EMILY FENG, BYLINE: The groundwork for a Chinese invasion might start like this. A Chinese helicopter goes down and the Chinese military uses it as a pretext to surround Taiwan, creating an international blockade that stops most international shipping.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ZERO DAY")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character, speaking Chinese).
FENG: Then a Chinese disinformation campaign stokes fear in Taiwan, prompting bank runs and looting. Gangs run amuck. Don't worry, this is not real. These are scenes from the 17-minute trailer for "Zero Day," a new television show. But even watching these scenes is stressful, perhaps even traumatic, for people in Taiwan. After all, a Chinese invasion could kill millions of people, devastate the global economy and risk nuclear war. So why make this kind of show?
CHENG SHIN-MEI: (Speaking Chinese).
FENG: This is Cheng Shin-mei, the executive producer for the series. She says she's been cogitating on the idea for "Zero Day" ever since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
CHENG: (Speaking Chinese).
FENG: She says the Russian invasion drove home her feeling that Taiwan's uneasy stalemate over the last 75 years with nearby China could end soon, and Taiwan could be invaded next.
CHENG: (Speaking Chinese).
FENG: Cheng says she wanted people to see how terrifying war in Taiwan would actually be and to prompt people in and out of Taiwan to work so that a war with China never happens.
CHENG: (Speaking Chinese).
FENG: Cheng says actors and directors and investors were at first nervous about being involved in anything that could get them shadow banned in China.
CHENG: (Speaking Chinese).
FENG: But as China spends record amounts to expand and modernize its military, the zeitgeist in Taiwan is also changing. "Zero Day" ended up being funded by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and the semiconductor billionaire Robert Tsao.
ROBERT TSAO: Well, I'm Robert Tsao.
FENG: I recently met Tsao at his palatial apartment in Taipei. While he was a tech executive running a multibillion-dollar chipmaker, he oversaw huge investment in China. Now he's flipped, and he's dedicated to something else entirely in Taiwan.
TSAO: To help Taiwan to fight against China in the so-called opinion warfare.
FENG: Opinion warfare - basically, trying to counter what he sees as Chinese propaganda in Taiwan by funding content made domestically. He dismissed criticism from Taiwan's opposition party that "Zero Day" is itself propaganda.
TSAO: If they don't want to fire, they're free. Maybe they should think it to free earlier before it's too late. And I don't need those people here.
FENG: When Tsao saw the "Zero Day" trailer for the first time...
TSAO: My first reaction was it's quite scary (laughter). Maybe that fits the purpose.
FENG: Fits the purpose, as in "Zero Day" sparks fear and thus resolve, because even though the series is purely a work of fiction, its plotline already feels all too plausible.
Emily Feng, NPR News, Taipei, Taiwan.
(SOUNDBITE OF CXLT. AND AMIES' "EMBRACE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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