Le Hong Hiep

Asian Angle | South China Sea: why China’s business interests in Vietnam are at stake amid nine-dash line controversies

Controversies over Beijing’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea highlight how geopolitical tensions can challenge international businesses

Although the economic implications may be minimal presently, businesses should be mindful of potential risks posed by the issue in the future

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Early last week, Vietnamese authorities banned the film Barbie, produced by Warner Bros, for containing an illustration that allegedly depicted the “nine-dash line”, which China uses to claim most of the disputed waterway. Photo: Reuters

Le Hong Hiep

Published: 10:30am, 15 Jul 2023

Beijing’s “nine-dash line” claim in the South China Sea caused an uproar in Vietnam recently. Earlier this month, Vietnamese authorities banned the film Barbie, produced by Warner Bros, for containing an illustration that allegedly depicted the nine-dash line that China uses to claim most of the disputed waterway.

In the same week, it was dscovered that IME Entertainment, a Chinese firm that is organising a concert of the K-pop band Blackpink in Hanoi later this month, included a map on its website showing the nine-dash line.

As a result, Vietnamese authorities are investigating the issue while many Vietnamese social media users have called for a boycott of the concert. In response to the backlash, IME Entertainment quickly shut down its website and its CEO apologised to the Vietnamese public.

This is not the first, and it will certainly not be the last, time that the nine-dash line – also known as the “cow’s tongue line” in Vietnam – has caused problems for businesses, including Chinese ones. Since 2019, Vietnam has banned several media properties featuring images of the line, including Abominable, Unchartered and Pine Gap.

02:22

Blackpink tour organiser in hot water with Vietnam over map of South China Sea

Additionally, maps, globes, books, and mobile games carrying such images have been outlawed in the country. In 2020, the Vietnamese government put out a decree permitting the confiscation of publications that feature the nine-dash line and fining their publishers.

Asian Angle | South China Sea: why China’s business interests in Vietnam are at stake amid nine-dash line controversies

Controversies over Beijing’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea highlight how geopolitical tensions can challenge international businesses Although the economic implications may be minimal presently, businesses should be mindful of potential risks posed by the issue in the future

Controversies over Beijing’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea highlight how geopolitical tensions can challenge international businesses

Although the economic implications may be minimal presently, businesses should be mindful of potential risks posed by the issue in the future