A television news channel in Taiwan apologized after erroneously reporting on Wednesday that China had launched an invasion just outside the capital Taipei, triggering alarm online.
Taipei-based Chinese Television Systems, a TV network partially owned by the Taiwanese government, ran a ticker along the bottom of the screen at 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday saying that China had attacked several areas of New Taipei City.
“New Taipei City has been hit by a Chinese communist guided missile. Ships in Taipei Port have exploded, damaging facilities,” the graphic read. “Banqiao Station is reported to have been set on fire by explosives placed by special forces.”
The station issued an apology live on air a few hours later. They said the chyron had been prepared for a disaster-prevention video produced for the New Taipei City Fire Department a day earlier, and had been broadcast Wednesday due to a production error.
The Ministry of National Defense had asked municipal governments to include the Chinese invasion scenario in a video as part of an annual drill, Huang De-ching, commissioner of the New Taipei City Fire Department, said by phone.
“This is for the drill of national defense mobilization and disaster prevention,” he said. “The Defense Department asked us to include the scenario of a China attack. So we have that scripted in the start of the video.”
With much of the world’s attention focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fears have grown among some analysts that China may make good on its long-held threat to take control of Taiwan by force if peaceful means fail. While there’s no sign an invasion is imminent, particularly in a sensitive political year for Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing has steadily upped its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan in recent years.
Last year, the People’s Liberation Army more than doubled its flights into Taiwan’s air-defense identification zone to almost 1,000 sorties. China has also regularly blasted Taiwan for strengthening ties with the U.S.
The war in Ukraine, which Russia calls a “special military operation,” has prompted debate on the implications for Taiwan and ways to boost preparedness, such as reforms to the training of reservists.
Last week, Taiwan’s military released a handbook on civil defense for the first time, giving citizens survival guidance in a war scenario.
CTS is currently deliberating whether to issue a more detailed statement on the broadcast, a spokesman for the company said via telephone.
Taiwan’s broadcast regulator, the National Communications Council, didn’t immediately respond to a telephone call requesting comment
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