Taiwan’s Zero Day drama portraying PLA attack sparks emotion, worry and criticism

Mini-series about a fictional PLA attack on the island is partly funded by Taiwanese government and is expected to debut next year

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Zero Day, a new Taiwanese mini-series, is expected to debut in 2025. Photo: Zero Day handout

Published: 9:11pm, 26 Jul 2024Updated: 12:19pm, 9 Aug 2024

A new Taiwanese drama centred on the countdown to a fictional attack by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) against the self-ruled island has yet to be released, but it is already drawing emotional reaction.

The trailer for the 10-episode series Zero Day – which features 10 fictional characters over the course of a week before a supposed attack by Chinese mainland forces – was released during a press event in Taipei on Tuesday, and coincided with an air raid drill in the capital city, Taipei.

At the same time, Taiwan’s week-long Han Kuang exercises have also been under way, an annual live-fire military drill focused on actual combat exercises that is being held amid elevated tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Zero Day is partly funded by the Taiwanese government and produced by award-winning filmmakers Lin Shih-ken and Cheng Shin-mei.

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Pending Taiwanese TV drama depicting PLA attack sparks emotion, worry and criticism

The film is set during a mainland military blockade imposed for a search and rescue operation after a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft disappears off Taiwan’s southeast coast.