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Vietnam
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Vietnam blocks ‘Abominable’ film over depiction of Beijing’s nine-dash line in South China Sea

  • The U-shaped line is a feature used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea
  • China and Vietnam have been locked in a stand-off in the disputed waterways after China dispatched a vessel to conduct an energy survey in July

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Abominable is about a Chinese girl who discovers a yeti living on her roof, was jointly produced by Shanghai-based Pearl Studio and Comcast-owned DreamWorks Animation. Photo: Universal Studios
Reuters
Vietnam has pulled the animated DreamWorks film Abominable from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday.

The U-shaped line is a feature used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea, including large swathes of what Vietnam regards as its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions.

China and Vietnam have been locked in a months-long stand-off in the disputed waterways after China dispatched a vessel to conduct an energy survey within waters controlled by Vietnam in early July.

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The scene appears to depict China’s nine-dash line in the South China Sea. Photo: Twitter
The scene appears to depict China’s nine-dash line in the South China Sea. Photo: Twitter

“We will revoke [the film’s licence],” Ta Quang Dong, deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was quoted as saying by the Thanh Nien newspaper.

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The ministry is in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films.

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