Philippine Authorities: Drama 'Pine Gap' Reflects China's South Sea Nine-Dash Line Claim
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A Netflix drama airing in the Philippines has been caught up in a South China Sea territorial dispute, leading to the suspension of two episodes of the series.
According to major foreign media on the 1st (local time), Netflix decided not to air the 2nd and 3rd episodes of the Australian espionage drama "Pine Gap" in the Philippines.
Netflix stated that this was "at the request of the Philippine government."
This measure came after the Philippine government requested the suspension of service, citing scenes in the episodes that featured maps reflecting China's claims over the disputed South China Sea territory.
It is reported that such scenes appear in the 2nd and 3rd episodes of this six-episode drama.
In this regard, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board concluded that it was inappropriate to publicly release certain episodes of the drama.
They raised the issue, stating, "The problematic map was deliberately designed to convey the message that the nine-dash line, which forms the basis of the South China Sea territorial claims, is legitimate, according to the board's judgment."
The South China Sea, through which goods worth approximately $3.4 trillion (?3996.7 trillion) annually pass, is a contentious area with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam all asserting territorial claims.
Earlier this year, Netflix also suspended the airing of Pine Gap in Vietnam following protests from Vietnamese authorities.
China currently draws a U-shaped nine-dash line in the South China Sea, claiming 90% of the area as its territorial waters.
However, in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled that China's claims have no basis under international law.
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