Vietnam has banned Barbie over a map that might make China very happy

Vietnam has put its foot down and sent Barbie packing! The highly-anticipated film produced by Warner Bros has been banned from release in Vietnam after making the mistake of flaunting a map that showcases China's unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea.

What

State media in Vietnam reported today that the film was denied domestic distribution due to this depiction.

• The issue at hand is the use of the "nine-dash line" on Chinese maps, which serves to illustrate China's extensive claims over vast areas of the South China Sea. 

China uses the fancy-sounding "nine-dash line" on its maps to assert its dominance over vast areas of the South China Sea.

• But Vietnam, along with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan, isn't buying it.
• They all have their own pieces of the maritime pie and have been squabbling with China over whose claims hold water. 

Vietnam vs China

These nations have engaged in disputes with China regarding the validity of their respective claims. Vietnam, in particular, has strongly objected to this delineation, as it encompasses significant portions of what Vietnam considers to be its continental shelf. 

• Vietnam has awarded oil concessions in these areas, making the issue of territorial sovereignty a matter of economic and strategic importance.

Not the first ban by Vietnam

The ban on Barbie is not an isolated incident in Vietnam.

In recent years, the Vietnamese government has taken similar actions against other films that depict China's controversial nine-dash line.

• In 2019, DreamWorks' animated film Abominable was pulled from theaters, and last year, Sony's action movie Uncharted faced the same fate.
• Even Netflix was not spared, as it had to remove the Australian spy drama Pine Gap from its platform in 2021.

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This ban isn't just about an animated doll and her questionable map choices. It's a vivid reminder of the ongoing territorial tango between Vietnam and China in the South China Sea. Vietnam has repeatedly accused Chinese vessels of trespassing its sovereignty, and they're not taking it lying down.

• They're also reminding everyone of an international arbitration verdict by a court in The Hague, a ruling that slapped China's claims on the wrist back in 2016, and which China continues to refute.

It seems Barbie won't be strutting her stuff in Vietnam anytime soon.

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