Global Courant
HANOI – Of all the things that can create tensions in a region that could one day be a battleground between superpowers, the movie “Barbie” wasn’t an obvious catalyst. Yet here we are.
Authorities in Vietnam this week banned the forthcoming Greta Gerwig film over a map in “Barbie” that they say shows a Chinese map of territory in the South China Sea where the two neighbors have competing claims.
The Philippines, another Southeast Asian country contesting China’s territorial claims in the sea, are now deciding whether to ban the star-studded film as well.
And Vietnam said on Thursday it was investigating a map of the South China Sea on the website of a company promoting Blackpink, a K-pop band set to perform in Hanoi this month.
Taking such stances against seemingly innocuous cultural exports may seem like an overreaction to some.
But Vietnam’s responses make more sense when viewed within historical and political contexts.
Here’s an introduction.
What is Vietnamese beef with ‘Barbie’?
The head of the Vietnam Cinema Department, an agency in the one-party state, said on Monday the Warner Bros film would not be released domestically because of a scene featuring the so-called nine-dash line — a map that appears on official Chinese documents and encircles most of it. of the South China Sea.
The official, Vi Kien Thanh, did not say which scene Vietnam did not like.
Several commentators wondered if he meant the one where Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, stands in front of a crudely drawn world map. Some also commented that the nine-dash line in that scene appears to be very far from Asia.
If that is indeed the offending card, “I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” said Mr. Bill Hayton, the author of books on Vietnam and the South China Sea.
“The map in the movie doesn’t seem to be related to any real map of the world,” Hayton added. “This appears that Vietnam’s censors are trying to demonstrate their patriotism and usefulness to the regime.”
Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Warner Bros. also not. The American film studio told Reuters news agency on Thursday that the “Barbie” map of the South China Sea was a “childish” drawing with no intended meaning.
