㽶Ƶֱ

Skip to content

Vietnam bans 㽶ƵֱBarbie㽶Ƶֱ movie due to illustration showing Chinese land claim

Reports say move sparked by a map in the film showing China㽶Ƶֱs 㽶Ƶֱnine-dash line㽶Ƶֱ

Vietnam㽶Ƶֱs state media have reported that the government banned distribution of the because it includes a view of a map showing disputed Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The newspaper Vietnam Express and other media said posters advertising 㽶ƵֱBarbie㽶Ƶֱ were removed from movie distributors㽶Ƶֱ websites after Monday㽶Ƶֱs decision. With Margot Robbie playing Barbie opposite Ryan Gosling㽶Ƶֱs Ken in Greta Gerwig㽶Ƶֱs comedic look at their 㽶Ƶֱperfect㽶Ƶֱ world, 㽶ƵֱBarbie㽶Ƶֱ was supposed to open July 21 in Vietnamese theaters.

The reports cited Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department, as saying the National Film Evaluation Council made the decision. It said a map in the film shows China㽶Ƶֱs 㽶Ƶֱnine-dash line,㽶Ƶֱ which extends Beijing㽶Ƶֱs territorial claims far into waters that fall within areas claimed by Vietnam and other countries.

The 㽶Ƶֱnine-dash line㽶Ƶֱ is an arcane but sensitive issue for China and its neighbors that shows Beijing㽶Ƶֱs maritime border extending into areas claimed by other governments and encompasses most of the South China Sea. That has with the ASEAN nations of Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, with Chinese fishing boats and military vessels becoming more aggressive in the disputed waters.

Asked about the issue at a daily briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, 㽶ƵֱChina㽶Ƶֱs position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent.㽶Ƶֱ

㽶ƵֱWe believe that the countries concerned should not link the South China Sea issue with normal cultural and people-to-people exchanges,㽶Ƶֱ Mao said.

However, China is exceedingly sensitive when it comes to how its national image and border claims are portrayed in entertainment and by businesses. For example, it has routinely retaliated against companies from hotels to airlines that it believes have suggested that self-governing Taiwan 㽶Ƶֱ with its own political system, country code and currency 㽶Ƶֱ is anything other than a part of China.

Companies almost always acquiesce to Chinese complaints, fearing they risk being locked out of the huge, lucrative Chinese market. That includes Hollywood films deleting or adding scenes based on the expected response on the ruling Communist Party and the highly nationalistic public.

When an international court ruled in 2016 that the 㽶Ƶֱnine-dash line㽶Ƶֱ has no basis in law and the Philippines was entitled to an exclusive economic zone in part of the area claimed by Beijing, China rejected the ruling.

Warner Bros. offices were closed Tuesday for the July 4 holiday.

In 2019, Vietnam after moviegoers complained about a scene showing the 㽶Ƶֱnine-dash line.㽶Ƶֱ Politicians in the Philippines called for a boycott of all DreamWorks releases to protest the scene, and Malaysia ordered the scene to be cut from the movie.

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO:





(or

㽶Ƶֱ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }