Vietnam investigates Chinese tea brand over controversial South China Sea map

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Vietnamese authorities have launched an investigation into a Chinese milk tea brand, Chagee, after its marketing materials featured a map displaying China’s disputed claim over the South China Sea. The map, known as the nine-dash line, has sparked outrage in Vietnam, with the country’s Propaganda and Public Relations Department calling a news conference to address the issue.

The nine-dash line, also referred to as the “cow-tongue line,” outlines China’s expansive territorial claims over much of the South China Sea, a claim that has been rejected by an international tribunal. In 2016, the Philippines brought a case to an arbitration tribunal, which ruled that China’s claim to “historic rights” over the region was unlawful. However, Beijing dismissed the ruling as “null and void,” continuing to assert its claim.

Tran Binh Thien, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Culture Department, confirmed that the Ho Chi Minh City authorities were working with local police to investigate Chagee Vietnam Company Limited for disseminating “unlawful information” by using the controversial map in its marketing. Thien urged businesses to avoid using maps that could be seen as promoting illegal territorial claims, stressing that only government-approved maps should be used in promotional materials. He also warned individuals against sharing images of the nine-dash line on the internet.

In response to the backlash, Chagee took down all advertisements and branding related to its first store in Ho Chi Minh City before it even opened. Calls to the company’s Vietnam office went unanswered.

This investigation follows other recent actions by Vietnam in response to China’s territorial claims. Earlier this month, the Vietnamese government ordered officials to confiscate a Chinese-made doll that featured the nine-dash line on its cheek. The doll, known as “Baby Three,” had been sold in sidewalk stores and online marketplaces across Vietnam since May.

In 2023, Vietnam also banned the Hollywood film “Barbie” after authorities claimed it included a map that depicted China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, illustrating the sensitivity surrounding this issue in the region.