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Part of the “Day Zero” drama is helping Taiwan cope with an increasingly credible situation. Others say the deployment is alarmist and a tool of the government.
By Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien
Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan
This weekend, on the side street in front of the presidential palace in Taipei, Taiwan’s worst nightmare unfolded in front of film crews. A host of actors and extras portrayed the kind of chaos that accompanies a Chinese invasion: a protest that leads to violence and bloodshed.
The filmed scene was for “Zero Day,” a new Taiwanese television series depicting China’s efforts to take over the democratically ruled island. Beijing has long claimed Taiwan as its territory and has suggested that it peacefully conform to China’s sovereignty. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said he will not rule out being absorbed by force.
“Zero Day” may not air until next year, but it has already sparked heated debates in Taiwan, after a trailer was released. Supporters of the series say it could inspire a much-needed verbal exchange about the risk posed by China. Critics have called it alarmist.
Cheng Hsin-mei, the maker of “Day Zero,” said she wanted to pull Taiwanese out of what she sees as widespread complacency and reluctance about the option of war.
“How would each and every one approach a war, how would they approach that option?No one is communicating that,” Ms. Cheng, who is also one of the show’s lead writers, said in an interview. Communicate it, because I think it is the greatest concern at the center of each and every Taiwanese. “
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