Global streaming platform Netflix has removed the Chinese-produced drama series “Flight to You” from its service in Vietnam. The Vietnamese government banned the series on similar grounds to its objection to the upcoming Warner Bros. film “Barbie.”
“As a result of the Vietnamese regulator banning elements of the series, we have removed‘Flight to You’from Netflix in Vietnam. It remains available on our service in other markets,” a Netflix spokesperson told PvNew in an emailed statement.
Both “Barbie” and “Flight to You” are understood to have included scenes that show a map of the South China Sea that depicts the “nine dash line” that represents China’s territorial claim to almost all of the area. Vietnam says that use of the map violates its sovereignty and that it will not tolerate the “nine dash line” in film and TV.
Warner Bros. last week denied that the map shown in “Barbie” is the “nine dash line” and said that it is instead a childish scribble. “The map in Barbie Land is a child-like crayon drawing,” a spokesperson for Warner Bros. toldPvNew. “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”
After pressure from the country’s senate, the Philippines’ film censorship board said last week that it is reviewing “Barbie” over the map scene. It has not yet announced its decision.
The case of “Flight to You” appears more clear-cut. Vietnamese state-backed media said that Vietnam’s Cinema Department had reviewed all 39 episodes of the series and found the “nine dash line” depicted in Episodes 18, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26 , 27, 30 and 38.
The department ordered Netflix and carrier FPT Telecom JSC to remove the show within 24 hours and to confirm their compliance.
The show, about a woman who dreams of becoming captain at a fictional airline, is produced by leading Chinese drama house Huace. It is available on rival Chinese streamers iQiyi and Tencent Video and was nominated for best TV series at the annual Chinese TV Drama Ceremony. Lead Tan Songyun won the CMG best breakthrough actress award.
Korean pop act Blackpink also had a near collision with Vietnamese authorities last week. The girl group is scheduled to play two concerts in Hanoi on July 29 and 30. On Wednesday, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture and Information said it was starting “procedures to look into the incident.” That was a reference to a map reportedly with a “nine dash line” discovered on the website of iME, the Beijing-based promoter of the concerts. iME quickly apologized.
“The image of the map on the website does not represent the territory of any country and we are aware of respecting the sovereignty and culture of all the countries where iME has a presence,” the company said in a statement. “iME quickly reviewed and committed to replace the images that are not suitable for Vietnamese.”
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan all make territorial claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam and China briefly fought a war in 1988 over the Spratley Islands or Truong Sa, an archipelago of islets, reefs and cays in the strategically important and mineral rich area.
In 2016, a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) disputes resolution tribunal in The Hague ruled unanimously against the validity of the “nine dash line.” However, while the South China Sea Arbitration decision is final and binding, there are no clear mechanisms for its implementation.
China has said it does not recognize the tribunal decision. China also claims Taiwan as its own territory, with which it will be united by force, if necessary, and explains therefore that Taiwan cannot have sovereignty.
