Vietnamese citizens complained to their government of discovering illegal ‘Nine-Dash Line’ in games, social media apps, movies, and other technology products, following which the Ministry of Information and Communications issues stern warning to Chinese firms to immediately delete the illegitimate territorial maps and maritime boundaries
@Kunal_Chonkar
New Delhi: It is customary for China to undertake covert actions to alter the status quo or delineation of territorial or maritime disputes. Beijing has always relied on grey zone operations including weaponizing of cyberspace, media, and propaganda mechanisms against regional states in order to justify China’s claims to sovereignty or to uphold the moral authority of its aggressive actions.
In attempts to bolster its claim to the disputed marine features and space in the South China Sea (SCS), China in recent months has intensified its covert messaging through media, and various technology products in Vietnam. Increasingly turning to narratives and graphics on social media to legitimize its stance on territorial disputes and to undermine claims by Vietnam, Beijing is showing illegal maritime maps to claim incorrect political sovereignty.
According to sources in the Vietnamese Government, between October and November, the Authority of Broadcast and Electronic Information (ABEI) started receiving several complaints related to Chinese media and online products inserting illegal maps.
“We received complaints from the public of them discovering the ‘Nine-Dash Line’ being inserted into movie apps and game apps that contained maps. Several Chinese games, including Baby Panda’s World Travel, and apps like the DJI’s Drone-controlled apps, and even an excerpt from the movie Wait, My Youth were showing illegal and incorrect maps,” an officer from the ABEI told TheNews21 on phone.
Sensing the developing danger, officials at the ABEI informed the senior leadership at the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), who instructed them to issue the Chinese enterprises a stern warning and immediate deletion of these illegal maps from the products, including online games and apps. Following the instructions, the ABEI issued a warning to service providers of G1, G2, G3, and G4 video games throughout Vietnam. A quick and successful intervention by the ABEI authorities saw the deletion of the illegal Nine-Dash line from a number of cross-border apps.
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“We also conducted a review of other apps and media products developed by Chinese firms, which were being used by Vietnamese citizens. However, either the ‘Nine-Dash Line’ was never depicted in these products, or the warning to selected would have triggered the others to clean their products off the illegal spatial markings,” the officer said while adding that similar violations strengthening China’s illegal claims and sovereignty violations could still be present especially on cultural products of Chinese origin.
Ensuring that China’s illegitimate territorial and maritime narratives do not again patch themselves in products, largely catering to the youth, the ABEI had asked service providers of online games to maintain strict vigilance for reviewing in-game images, diagrams, and maps. “Official orders have been sent to all service providers by the MIC to ensure no Chinese apps, movies, technology products, or others violating Vietnam’s law on border sovereignty are made available,” the officer pointed.
Sources in the MIC added that in wake of such Chinese tactics, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked domestic enterprises to stop cooperating with pro-China foreign enterprises that have committed violations on game contents pertaining to territorial maps, maritime boundaries, and histories.
