A NEW Taiwanese TV drama will reveal the "sheer horror" of a Chinese invasion - and serve as a wake-up call to the world, an expert has warned.
A chilling trailer for upcoming series Zero Day shows the island under siege from the Chinese military.
The nearly 18-minute trailer was unveiled in Taipei last week during the capital's annual air drill.
Partly funded by Taiwan's government, it shows a Chinese "search and rescue mission" escalating into a full-blown invasion.
It shows China setting up a naval blockade - sparking scenes of panic as citizens desperately try to escape and others sign up to fight and defend the island.
It also includes an eerie broadcast to Taiwanese citizens from Chinese state media about "completion of peaceful unification".
China has lurked around Taiwan for decades now - with threats of an invasion ramping up in recent months.
Beijing considers Taiwan its own domain - and has vowed to take the island by force if necessary.
Taiwan fears a "surprise attack" from China is inevitable and has been preparing for war for years.
Professor Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, hopes the TV drama will "sober people up" to the looming threat of war.
He told The Sun: "If a depiction like this alerts everyone... to the sheer horror of a military attack on the island, then that might serve a useful purpose - the way depictions of nuclear war in the 1950s and 1960s made people much more supportive of non-use of nuclear weapons.
"A relatively realistic depiction of just how horrific a war might be could sober people up rather than make them start banging war drums."
In an opening scene of the trailer, a Taiwan news channel warns that a Chinese People's Liberation Army jet crossed over the South China Sea before "suddenly vanishing on our radar screens".
"China is blocking Taiwan's waters, under the pretext of search and rescue," she says.
Panic spreads as the Taiwanese army retreats and China's army lands on Kinmen - a frontline island off China's coast.
It's later reported as a "declaration of war from China".
Chilling scenes show eerily quiet neighbourhoods in Taiwan as tanks roll through the streets and jets blast across the skies.
Chaos explodes as citizens in Taiwan desperately try to empty their banks and flee - with other countries flocking to help with urgent evacuations.
Meanwhile, shipping in the Taiwan Straight grinds to a halt, sparking global economic chaos.
In a Chinese state TV broadcast, a female news reader tells Taiwan's citizens to "follow the instructions" of Chinese soldiers.
A relatively realistic depiction of just how horrific a war might be could sober people up rather than make them start banging war drums
Professor Kerry Brown
The message is plastered across every screen on the island - telling citizens to "raise their arms" and "show they are not armed".
The 10-episode series comes as China is keeping a watchful eye on a "volatile" US, according to Professor Brown - whose forthcoming book The Taiwan Story will be published in November.
"The Chinese government is more likely to be guided by political rather than military considerations in its treatment of Taiwan," he said.
"The most difficult issue currently is the position of the US, which is volatile.
"And for the first time in many decades, [it] is seeing a number of prominent politicians like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advocating for Taiwan to be given far greater status and recognition.
"That would threaten to cross a red line with the government in Beijing.
"The new administration under Lai Ching-te meanwhile tries to follow a balancing act, not alienating the US, and not antagonising China so much it does something intemperate."
Beijing detests Lai as a "troublemaker separatist" after he was sworn in as Taiwan's new president in May.
At the time, China had told Taiwan that it was heading towards "a perilous situation of war and danger".
Beijing's defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said: “Since taking office, the leader of the Taiwan region has seriously challenged the one-China principle.
“Pushing our compatriots in Taiwan into a perilous situation of war and danger.
"This is purely playing with fire, and those who play with fire will surely get themselves burnt."
Qian said China will not stop until "the complete reunification of the motherland is achieved".
A month later, China issued a chilling warning vowing to "crush" any attempt from Taiwan to break away from the "motherland".
Defence chief Dong Jun slammed "dangerous separatists" in Taiwan and declared that his military is ready to "forcefully" engage in war.
Taiwan is also feared to be a major flashpoint between Washington and Beijing - with a potential invasion forcing the US to abandon the island or face a full-scale war with China that could spiral into WW3.
Experts have long believed China are planning to use sea blockades to cut off the island - forcing them to surrender when military supplies dwindle.
TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified - and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing's control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called "first island chain", which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington's foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China's enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan's economy is another factor in China's desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world's electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation.
Others believe Beijing will pour its forces onto Taiwan's "red beaches" and attack on land.
US intelligence agencies believed Xi has ordered China's military to be ready to annex Taiwan as early as 2027.
Some experts fear one "misunderstanding" could spark "uncontrolled escalation" - leading to all-out war in the region.
In May, Beijing led huge military drills - as dozens of warplanes filled the skies above the island and an armada stormed towards its shores in a WW3-style mock invasion.
The unprecedented move was viewed as “a strong punishment for separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces”.
The mock invasion lasted for more than 24 hours with another 27 warships and 62 warplanes blockading the island.
Taiwan condemned the military drills as ";irrational provocations".
It quickly mobilised its naval, air and ground forces to "defend the island's sovereignty".
The defiant island scrambled jets and even placed missile units on high alert.
According to local media, Zero Day is set to air next year.
The show’s producer is reportedly aiming to sign a deal with a major international streaming platform to release the series.
Actors set to appear in the series include Japan's Issei Takahashi and Hong Kong-Taiwanese actor Chapman To.
