Chagee In Trouble After Showing China’s Nine-Dash Line Map In App

Some Malaysian and Vietnamese people urged for a boycott against the popular Chinese tea chain Chagee.

For illustration purposes

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Popular Chinese tea chain Chagee is in trouble after its mobile app allegedly showed a map with Beijing’s disputed nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea.

For some people, the move is an insult to Malaysia’s sovereignty in the maritime region.

The drama has also drawn in some Vietnamese netizens who weren’t pleased with Chagee, calling the nine-dash line by its Vietnamese name “duong luoi bo” (cow’s tongue line).

This led to both sides calling for a brand boycott with some nationalist sentiments thrown into the mix.

Due to the criticism, Chagee had apparently removed the controversial map from its app although some Malaysian and Vietnamese netizens remain skeptical. However, the company has not issued a public statement about the matter.

Coincidentally, Chagee was actually about to launch in Vietnam. The particular store was decked out in the brand’s signature red branding but has been painted over in grey. Some took this colour change as a sign that the launch in Vietnam may not go forward.

Why the uproar over a few lines in the South China Sea?

Simply put, China claims the regions within its nine-dash line as theirs. The problem is the claim overlaps areas in Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and other nations that consider the area theirs.

Right in the centre of the zone is the highly contested Spratly Islands, still being fought over by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Credit: By U.S. Central Intelligence Agency – Asia Maps — Perry-Castañeda Map Collection: South China Sea (Islands) 1988, Public Domain via Wikimedia.

China and Malaysia also have an ongoing territorial dispute over Beting Serupai (James Shoal), Beting Patinggi Ali (North Luconia Shoals), and Beting Raja Jarum (South Luconia Shoals).

The nine-dash line isn’t an official claim, even under the eyes of an international tribunal under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). However, China will do what it wants.

It’s not the first time countries made a big hoohaa over the controversial nine-dash line.

In 2023, when the Barbenheimer phenomenon was at its height, the Barbie movie sparked controversy when a cartoon map featured lines that resembled China’s nine-dash line.

This led to Vietnam banning the Barbie film from being screened while the Philippines censored the lines.

In 2019, the Dreamworks animated film titled Abominable was not shown in Malaysia due to the nine-dash line making an appearance in a scene.