‘Barbie’ movie banned in Vietnam over map of disputed South China Sea
NBCJul 03, 2023
The Facts
The government of Vietnam has banned the upcoming Barbie film because of its depiction of a map showing China's disputed territorial claims of much of the resource-rich South China Sea, the so-called "nine-dash line."
The release of Barbie, a live-action story about Mattel's famous Barbie and Ken dolls with an all-star cast including Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, and Will Ferrell, is one of the most anticipated films of the summer.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
The use of the nine-dash-line in the upcoming Barbie film is outright pandering to the Chinese market and flies in the face of the rightful territorial claims of Pacific countries that have been ignored by the PRC. Vietnam does not have to dignify such affronts to their sovereignty and has rightly banned the film. Maybe Hollywood will think twice next time before distorting reality to sell more tickets in China.
Pro-China narrative
While it's unclear whether the film's depiction of the controversial nine-dash line is intentional, Warner Bros. should be applauded for picking the right side on an important matter. Vietnam is being hypersensitive on this issue, as it restricts free expression for the sake of advancing its claim in a territorial spat.
