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