According to Reuters reported on November 1, Philippine officials asked Netflix on November 1 to delete the Episode of the Australian spy drama "Pine Gap" containing a nine-dash map of the South China Sea, claiming that this "does not conform to the Philippine view of sovereignty in the South China Sea."
Pine Gap public poster
Some footage in the second and third episodes of "Pine Gap" shows nine-dash lines in the South China Sea. The Philippine Foreign Ministry said the map in the film violated the "sovereignty" of the Philippines.
The work is set against the backdrop of a mysterious U.S.-Australian joint defense facility and introduces a powerful alliance between the United States and Australia.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the Philippine Film Commission ruled that certain episodes of "Pine Gap" were "not suitable for public screening." The Philippine Film Commission ruled on September 28 based on complaints from the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is unclear why the decision was not made public until now.
According to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the Film Commission noted that the map appeared "not accidentally" to convey Chinese sovereignty in the consciousness of contemporary audiences and future generations.
On Nov. 1, Netflix stopped offering screenings of the show's second and third episodes in the Philippines, which the platform said had been "removed by the government."
This isn't the first time Netflix has pulled Pine Gap out at the request of a number of countries, reuters earlier reported that in July, after a similar complaint from Vietnamese authorities, Netflix also removed Pine Gap from its platform. The Vietnamese side claimed that "Netflix hurt the feelings of the Vietnamese people." Netflix also confirmed that "Pine Gap" has been removed from the shelves in Vietnam, but the series can still be screened in other parts of the world.
Before that, the Vietnamese government had also asked the American production company DreamWorks to withdraw an animated film called "Snowman Abominable" from cinemas.
The U.S.-China co-production animated film was released worldwide in October 2019, but due to the appearance of a map of China with nine-dash lines in the film, it was protested by Vietnam, Malaysia and other countries, but the filmmakers did not pay attention.
According to the Observer Network, Universal Pictures, the distributor of "Snowman", said, "We will not make any deletions, so the film will not be released in Malaysia." ”
According to the official introduction, "The Strange Adventure of the Snowman" tells the story of a few children living in a bustling city in contemporary China who accidentally discovered the legendary snowman "Big Hair" and decided to cross 3,000 kilometers of the motherland and send it back to their hometown Mount Everest.
The story takes place in China from beginning to end. Is a map of China that appears in China still necessary to wipe the nine-dash line in order to cater to the West?
Public reports show that in 2006, the Chinese government submitted an exclusionary declaration in accordance with article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, excluding disputes involving maritime delimitation and historic ownership from compulsory dispute settlement procedures, including arbitration. This is a legitimate act of China, as a State party to the Covenant, in exercising its rights conferred by international law.
On January 22, 2013, the Philippines unilaterally initiated arbitration over a dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Chinese government immediately stated that it would not accept or participate in the arbitration initiated by the Philippines.
At a press conference held by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on May 12 this year, Hua Chunying said in response to a reporter's question that the South China Sea issue may account for only 1% of China-Philippines relations, and the two sides will strive to properly handle relevant issues through dialogue and consultation, and continue to ensure and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Philippines relations.
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