The Vietnamese government has issued a strict directive demanding streaming giant Netflix to take down the Chinese TV drama “Proud of Sun” within 24 hours. Officials pointed out that in the 25th episode, a map of the “Nine-Dash Line” used by the Chinese Communist Party to assert sovereignty over the South China Sea appeared, which is seen as a serious violation of Vietnamese national sovereignty.
According to Bloomberg, the Department of Film of the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism issued a statement on Sunday (January 4) saying that the map distorted facts and violated Vietnamese law. Despite the controversial scene only appearing in the background of a university lecture, Vietnamese authorities have taken a “zero-tolerance” stance, categorizing the show as a banned Category C work. Currently, Netflix has officially confirmed its compliance with the takedown.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2023, another Chinese TV drama, “Walking Against the Wind,” was also requested to be removed from Netflix in Vietnam due to map issues. Even though the platform blurred the relevant scenes, the Vietnamese government still refused to compromise.
In 2023, the Hollywood movie “Barbie” distributed by Warner Bros was also banned from cinemas in Vietnam. Although the film was not produced in China, a hand-drawn map with a similar “dashed line” seen in the movie was deemed by Vietnamese authorities as an acknowledgment of the “Nine-Dash Line.” This reflects the high alertness of various countries towards China’s “map expansion” through cultural exports – whether it’s Chinese-produced TV series or Hollywood blockbusters, any symbols that acknowledge China’s unlawful territorial claims are strongly opposed by regional countries.
The core legal basis for the resistance actions of various countries is the ruling made by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016. At that time, the Philippines brought arbitration against China’s South China Sea claims, and the court ultimately ruled that Beijing’s basis for sovereignty claims over the South China Sea using the “Nine-Dash Line” lacked legal foundation.
The ruling clearly stated that China’s claimed “historical rights” in the South China Sea are inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China has refused to accept this ruling.