Netflix Removes Chinese Series "Shine On Me" Following Vietnam's Protests

Netflix Reacts to Vietnam's Objections

Netflix has withdrawn a Chinese dramatized series from its platform in Vietnam, following protests from Hanoi over an episode containing a map of disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea. The romantic series "Shine On Me," which consists of 27 episodes, features images of the so-called nine-dash line, which Vietnam condemns as "inaccurate" and "violating national sovereignty."

Vietnam is among several countries contesting these claims, and the country’s Ministry of Culture issued a request for the series' removal on January 3, giving Netflix 24 hours to comply. A check conducted by the BBC on Tuesday showed that the series was no longer available on the platform in Vietnam.

The disputed map appears multiple times in episode 25 of the series, in a scene discussing China's solar energy potential. The main characters attend a lecture where a map of China, showing part of the nine-dash line, is projected on a screen in the conference room.

"Shine On Me" was popular in China and other territories, ranking among the top 10 watched shows on Netflix in Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam before its removal. Although Beijing has not officially commented on the ban, the state-controlled newspaper Global Times published an article on Tuesday urging Hanoi to "separate cultural exchanges from the South China Sea issue."

In recent years, China has increasingly asserted its claims of sovereignty over various landmasses and adjacent waters in the South China Sea, despite complaints from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. Beijing has expanded some islands and constructed facilities on them, deploying naval patrols that have occasionally led to heated confrontations with the Philippine navy.

China argues that various evidence, from ceramic fragments to navigational guides used by Chinese fishermen, supports its claims of historical sovereignty. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague rejected China's claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing did not accept this ruling.