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In the midst of escalating military tensions with Beijing, a Taiwan government-backed media station apologised and asked viewers not to worry on Wednesday after incorrectly reporting a Chinese attack in Taipei.

According to local media accounts, during a live news broadcast on Wednesday morning, the Chinese Television System displayed news ticker alerts at the bottom of the screen regarding military ships and important infrastructure near Taipei being targeted by Chinese missiles.

The notifications included phrases such as "a war could break out," "Chinese spies" setting fire to a major train station in Taipei, and Taiwan's president proclaiming a state of emergency.

"Please don't get too worked up, citizens. We hereby apologise and clarify the information "At 10 a.m., an anchor remarked on the network's news bulletin.

The notifications were supposed to be broadcast on Tuesday morning during a drill with the New Taipei City Fire Department, but were inadvertently displayed on Wednesday morning due to a technical problem, she added.

After the unintentional broadcasts, there were no overt signals of alarm in Taipei.

China has never abandoned the use of force to subjugate Taiwan, and has increased military actions near the island in recent years in an attempt to force the island to acknowledge Beijing's sovereignty claims.

Taiwan has upgraded its alert level in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fearful that China may follow suit, even though the government has not detected any indicators of an impending attack.

The war in Ukraine, which Russia refers to as a "special military operation," has sparked discussion about the consequences for Taiwan and methods to improve readiness, such as reservist training reforms.

For the first time, Taiwan's military published a civil defence manual last week, providing residents with survival advice in the event of a war.