Netflix removed the Australian spy drama series Pine Gap from its platform in Vietnam after government regulators complained about a map that presented disputed Chinese claims to the South China Sea.
As China and Vietnam hold competing claims over the same areas of the South China Sea, the Vietnamese Department of Radio, Television, and Electronic Information said that the map depicted in the show violated Vietnam’s sovereignty, according to Bloomberg.
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“Netflix’s violations angered and hurt the feelings of the entire people of Vietnam,” a statement from the department read. “This is the third time in a row in the last 12 months that Netflix has been found to distribute movies and TV shows containing content which violate Vietnam’s sovereignty.”
Netflix complied with the demand, removing the series from Vietnam’s servers.
The previous two violations were over the U.S. show Madam Secretary and Chinese romance comedy Put Your Head on My Shoulder, according to Reuters. The 2019 Pixar movie Abominable was pulled from theaters for the same reason. The issue, in all of these cases, was a U-shaped feature on Chinese maps called the “nine-dash line,” which covers Chinese claims in the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Vietnam.
According to RAND Corporation analyst Derek Grossman, tensions have recently heated up between the two Asian nations over fishing and mineral rights in disputed waters. As China has become increasingly aggressive in asserting its claims over the contested area, several standoffs have occurred with Vietnamese vessels. The United States has emerged as an ally to Vietnam, helping to counter Chinese aggression. “Vietnam is arguably one of the most important partners for the United States in the Indo-Pacific region,” Grossman said.
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China and Vietnam have agreed to set up a hotline in order to avoid naval conflict, according to the South China Morning Post.
