{"id":1966296,"date":"2023-07-07T03:48:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T07:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/barbie-gets-a-lesson-in-geopolitics\/"},"modified":"2023-07-07T03:53:09","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T07:53:09","slug":"barbie-gets-a-lesson-in-geopolitics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/barbie-gets-a-lesson-in-geopolitics\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbie Learns About World Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbarbie-gets-a-lesson-in-geopolitics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1966296&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<p><strong>The highly anticipated summer blockbuster\u00a0\u201cBarbie\u201d\u00a0hasn\u2019t hit theaters yet (official release day is July 21), but the plastic doll is already embroiled in a real-life geopolitical controversy.<\/strong> Vietnam\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2023\/film\/news\/barbie-banned-vietnam-movie-warner-bros-1235660317\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">banned<\/a>\u00a0the film this week over a scene displaying a map of the South China Sea with the controversial \u201cnine-dash line.\u201d Authorities in the Philippines\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmanetwork.com\/news\/topstories\/nation\/874763\/barbie-movie-s-ph-release-being-deliberated-by-mtrb\/story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">are also deliberating<\/a>\u00a0whether they should prohibit the film from showing in their country.<\/p>\n<p>Social media users couldn\u2019t stop mocking Barbie\u2019s geopolitical troubles. There were many images of Barbie getting ready to go to war by dressing up in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeauBradley76\/status\/1676000367996473344\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sexy military outfit<\/a>, sitting in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/earldean71\/status\/1675925703894638604\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pink boat<\/a>, and landing a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AntonioDeLoeraB\/status\/1675915727419883520\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pink warplane<\/a>. But anyone who thought Vietnam, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian countries were too petty over a map has missed the historical context and ongoing geopolitical contentions related to the South China Sea.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1765922358\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-abea1563c16fea8088e5c85ae52f6df9 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-abea1563c16fea8088e5c85ae52f6df9\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<h2>The Significance of the South China Sea<\/h2>\n<p>The South China Sea is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chinapower.csis.org\/much-trade-transits-south-china-sea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one of the most important international waterways for trade and energy<\/a>. It is also rich in natural resources such as fisheries, minerals, oil, and gas. Since 1947, China has used the nine-dash line to justify its maritime claim to any land or features contained within the line, including all the rights to the rocks, reefs, and natural resources. Since the nine-dash line encircles about 90 percent of the South China Sea, China has practically asserted this international water as its domestic pond with the stroke of a pen.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s Southeast Asian neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have long discredited China\u2019s \u201cnine-dash line\u201d map for ignoring their competing historical claims and violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). According to UNCLOS, a nation has sovereignty over waters extending 12 nautical miles from its land and exclusive control over economic activities in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-sanctions-chinese-fishing-companies-for-human-rights-abuses\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Sanctions Chinese Fishing Companies for Human Rights Abuses\">200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone<\/a> (EEZ). But China\u2019s nine-dash line runs as far as 1,200 miles from mainland China to within only 100 miles of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam coasts, a clear infringement of these nations\u2019 sovereignty and economic interests.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Vietnam fought several\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/timeline\/chinas-maritime-disputes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bloody battles<\/a>\u00a0against China in the South China Sea in 1974 and 1988. Nearly two decades later, Malaysia and Vietnam\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/Depts\/los\/clcs_new\/submissions_files\/submission_mysvnm_33_2009.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed a joint submission<\/a>\u00a0to the UN Commission in 2009, challenging China\u2019s bogus maritime claims. After China began to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2016\/may\/13\/pentagon-report-china-reclaimed-3200-acres-south-china-sea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">build and militarize artificial islands in the disputed water<\/a>, the Philippines filed an arbitration case under the UNCLOS in 2013. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maritime-executive.com\/article\/tribunal-rules-against-chinas-s-china-sea-claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a>\u00a0in 2016 that \u201cthere was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within its \u2018nine-dash line\u2019, an area encompassing the vast majority of the South China Sea.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The court also ruled that China\u2019s island build-up was unlawful and a blatant violation of the Philippines\u2019 economic rights. It \u201chad <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/barbie-gets-a-lesson-in-geopolitics\/\" title=\"Barbie Learns About World Politics\">caused severe environmental harm<\/a> to reefs in the chain.\u201d But China ignored the ruling and continued to press ahead with its aggression in the South China Sea in defiance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ab85efb4f15d89390d7957eb2858321c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ab85efb4f15d89390d7957eb2858321c\"><\/div>\n<h3>China&#8217;s Ongoing Actions<\/h3>\n<p>To the great annoyance and alarm of China\u2019s neighbors and other Indo-Pacific nations, China has continued to use the nine-dash line as a justification to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/nation\/234008-duterte-says-cannot-ban-chinese-from-fishing-philippine-waters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conduct fishing and energy exploration<\/a>\u00a0in neighboring countries\u2019 EEZs, while Chinese coast guards\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.energyvoice.com\/oilandgas\/asia\/240336\/tensions-boil-in-south-china-sea-as-petronas-drills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">intimidated and disrupted<\/a>\u00a0neighboring nations from conducting similar commercial activities in their own sovereign waters. The Chinese military\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hongkongfp.com\/2018\/12\/01\/beijing-lashes-us-south-china-sea-freedom-navigation-operation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claims self-defense<\/a>\u00a0whenever it tries aggressive maneuvers to stop the U.S. and its allies from conducting \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/hongkongfp.com\/2018\/12\/01\/beijing-lashes-us-south-china-sea-freedom-navigation-operation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">freedom of navigation<\/a>\u201d through international waters in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n<p>Presently, except for China, no country recognizes the legitimacy of the nine-dash line or uses any map with the nine-dash line.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Hollywood&#8217;s Complicity<\/h2>\n<p>Hollywood cannot claim obliviousness to all the geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea. Nor can it pretend to be naive about its role in spreading communist China\u2019s propaganda because Vietnam and other nations have boycotted several Hollywood movies and TV series in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bulletproof-backpack-makers-retailers-slam-new-york-confiscation-legislation\/\" title=\"Bulletproof Backpack Makers,\u00a0Retailers\u00a0Slam New York Confiscation Legislation\">recent years due<\/a> to scenes including the \u201cnine-dash line\u201d map.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Vietnam authorities only allowed screenings of the 2018 rom-com\u00a0\u201cCrazy Rich Asians\u201d\u00a0after the scene featuring a designer bag with a map of the nine-dash line was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/entertainment\/242523-abominable-pulled-out-vietnam-china-9-dash-line\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cut from the film<\/a>. In 2019, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/entertainment.inquirer.net\/348657\/mtrcb-bans-abominable-over-china-map\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">banned<\/a>\u00a0DreamWorks\u2019 animation\u00a0\u201cAbominable\u201d\u00a0because of a scene featuring a map with a nine-dash line.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a3a60de02bc5205086d6df74d4f862c3 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a3a60de02bc5205086d6df74d4f862c3\"><\/div>\n<p>Time Magazine reported, \u201cIn 2021, officials in the Philippines\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/entertainment.inquirer.net\/425611\/netflix-ordered-to-remove-pine-gap-episodes-on-chinas-nine-dash-line-dfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ordered Netflix<\/a>\u00a0to take down select episodes of the Australian spy drama\u00a0\u2018Pine Gap\u2019\u00a0due to scenes containing the nine-dash line, while Vietnam demanded the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/vietnam-orders-netflix-remove-australian-spy-show-over-south-china-sea-map-2021-07-02\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">entire series be removed<\/a>\u00a0from the streamer.\u201d Last year, the Philippines and Vietnam\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2022\/04\/27\/asia\/philippines-uncharted-film-china-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pulled the screenings of Sony\u2019s\u00a0\u201cUncharted\u201d<\/a> in their countries due to the same issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hollywood has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pen.org\/report\/made-in-hollywood-censored-by-beijing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a long history of capitulating to the Chinese government<\/a>\u00a0in exchange for profits and market shares. By repeatedly including a map with the nine-dash line in its films and TV shows, Hollywood has been complicit in legitimizing China\u2019s illegitimate maritime claim and normalizing China\u2019s aggression for a worldwide audience. For small nations such as the Philippines and Vietnam that are frequently subject to China\u2019s economic coercion and military intimidation, imposing over-the-top measures such as banning films and TV shows is one of the few actions they could take in order to draw the international community\u2019s attention to China\u2019s \u201cmight makes right\u201d geopolitical expansion.<\/p>\n<p>Hollywood\u2019s market share in China dropped from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/07\/08\/media\/hollywood-china-censors-box-office-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30.7 percent in 2018 to 13.6 percent in 2022<\/a>, mainly due to Xi Jinping\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/business\/business-news\/china-movie-industry-xi-jinping-1235243367\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">push<\/a>\u00a0to prioritize domestic productions and cut back on foreign movie imports. Furthermore,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barrons.com\/articles\/china-isnt-the-worlds-biggest-movie-market-anymore-blame-the-pandemic-lockdowns-51654208200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">China is no longer the world\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nbc-wont-say-if-it-will-acknowledge-chinas-human-rights-atrocities-during-beijing-winter-olympics\/\" title=\"NBC Won't Say If It Will Acknowledge China's Human Rights Atrocities During Beijing Winter Olympics\">largest movie market<\/a><\/a>. To grow profits and market shares, Hollywood must look elsewhere. Vietnam\u2019s ban on\u00a0\u201cBarbie\u201d\u00a0may be the final straw for Hollywood to realize that carrying water for Beijing while alienating audiences in other growing markets isn\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-65b635ae1243db1f7241dba1569d5919 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-65b635ae1243db1f7241dba1569d5919\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The upcoming film &#8220;Barbie&#8221; faces controversy before its release on July 21. Vietnam has already banned the movie due to a scene featuring the disputed &#8220;nine-dash line&#8221; on a map of the South China Sea. The Philippines is also considering a ban on the film, adding to the geopolitical dispute surrounding Barbie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":1966297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1966296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1966296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1966296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1966296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1966297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1966296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1966296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1966296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}