In brief
Netflix has removed the Chinese drama 'Shine on Me' from its Vietnam service after Hanoi demanded action due to the show's depiction of a map that includes the contested nine-dash line. Vietnam considers the line an infringement of its sovereignty, reflecting ongoing tensions in the South China Sea region. Despite calls for cultural separation, disputes over territorial claims continue to affect media releases between the two countries.
Netflix has pulled a Chinese drama series from its Vietnam platform after Hanoi objected to an episode featuring a map with contested territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The 27-episode romance drama Shine on Me includes images of the so-called nine-dash line which Vietnam has condemned as 'inaccurate' and 'infringing upon national sovereignty'.
China uses the line in its maps to demarcate its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam is one of many countries that object to these claims.
Vietnam's culture ministry issued a demand for the series to be removed on 3 January and gave Netflix 24 hours to comply.
A BBC check on Tuesday found it could no longer be viewed on Netflix's Vietnam platform.
The disputed map appears several times in episode 25 of Shine On Me, in a scene about China's solar power potential.
The show's main characters attend a lecture where a map of China which shows part of the nine-dash line is projected on an auditorium screen.
Shine On Me is popular within China and other territories, ranking among Netflix's Top 10 shows in Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam before it was pulled.
Beijing has not officially commented on the ban, although its state-run newspaper Global Times published an article on Tuesday urging Hanoi to 'separate cultural exchanges from [the] South China Sea issue'.
In recent years, China has increasingly asserted its claims of sovereignty over several land parcels and their adjacent waters in the South China Sea, despite complaints from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Beijing has expanded some islands and built structures on them, and conducted sea patrols which have resulted in heated confrontations with the Philippine navy.
China argues that various pieces of evidence, from pottery shards to navigational guides used by Chinese fishermen, back up its claims of historical sovereignty.
In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled against Chinese claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing did not recognize the judgment.
The dispute between Beijing and Hanoi particularly centers on the Paracel and Spratly island chains, which the nine-dash line loops around on Chinese maps.
China claims its right to the area goes back centuries to when these island chains were regarded as integral parts of the Chinese nation, while Vietnam hotly disputes this, asserting its long-standing governance over these territories.
In multiple instances between 2019 and 2024, Vietnam has filed takedown requests with Netflix regarding similar issues.
In 2023, Vietnam ordered Netflix to remove another Chinese drama, Flight to You, over a similar map. Moreover, productions like Warner Bros' Barbie and DreamWorks' Abominable have faced bans for the same reasons.
