Netflix Withdraws Chinese Drama in Vietnam Over Nine-Dash Line Map

(Bloomberg) -- Vietnam ordered Netflix to remove Chinese television series Shine on Me from its streaming platform in the country over images depicting a map that Beijing uses to stake contested territorial claims in the South China Sea.

“The inspection found scenes showing the ‘nine-dash line’ map, which misrepresents and violates Vietnam’s national sovereignty,” the Department of Cinema under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a statement on Sunday.

“Following a written government demand, we have removed Shine On Me from Netflix in Vietnam,” the streaming service said in a statement.

Underscoring Vietnam’s sensitivity over China’s claims, which have led to maritime clashes, the order was made even though the map is only visible in a college lecture scene in the dramatic series. In 2023, Netflix had to stop offering another Chinese romantic drama, Flight to You, even though a similar map in that show was blurred when distributed in the country.

The Southeast Asian nation previously banned the movie Barbie from cinemas over a scene showing the map, and investigated Chinese milk tea brand Chagee and a brand of children’s toys for using images of the map.

The images appear in episode 25 of the series, according to the department, which gave the entertainment giant 24 hours to take the show down. Authorities reclassified the 27-episode series as category C, which bans it from distribution, citing violations of Vietnam’s cinema law. It was no longer available to view online at 11am Hanoi time Monday.

China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea and backs this up with a 1947 map that shows vague dashes — the nine-dash line — looping down to a point about 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) south of Hainan Island. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan claim parts of the same maritime area, with the various parties sometimes sparring over where the boundaries fall.

--With assistance from Sohee Kim and Ramsey Al-Rikabi.

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