South China Morning Post
Date: 05 February, 2019
By: Kinling Lo
- Propaganda film leaves little to the imagination as images of military aircraft are set against shots of Taiwanese landmarks
- Soundtrack calls for ‘Brothers and sisters’ to ‘return [and] reunite’
Beijing has released a “goodwill” Lunar New Year video message to the people of Taiwan that juxtaposes scenes of daily life in the self-ruled island with shots of fighter jets and bombers from the People’s Liberation Army taking part in exercises.
The film, titled My Fighting Eagles Fly Around Formosa – an old name for Taiwan, was published on social media by the PLA Air Force Airborne Corps on Sunday with a note saying it was to celebrate the new year, which fell on Tuesday.
The 3½-minute propaganda film released on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, leaves little to the imagination as it superimposes the official badge of the air force against a shot of Taiwan’s iconic skyscraper Taipei 101, once the world’s tallest building.
Despite the footage of H-6 bombers and J-20 stealth fighters, the film’s official message speaks of reunification and brotherhood. Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.
The lyrics of the song that accompanies the images call for “Brothers and sisters” from Taiwan to “return [and] reunite”. [FULL STORY]
