Netflix has pulled two episodes of an Australian spy series from its platform in the Philippines after a complaint from Manila exposed scenes showing a map incorporating Beijing’s land claims in the still disputed South China Sea.
China and the Philippines, in particular, claim part of the South China Sea, a key and resource-rich global sea route.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry said on Monday it had filed a complaint about the map that attributes China to the area it claims, briefly shown in Netflix’s drama “Pine Gap”, to the broadcasting authority. from the Philippines.
On the platform of the American giant, episodes two and three were tagged with the words “this episode was deleted at the request of the government”, without knowing exactly when they were removed from the platform.
Contacted by AFP, Netflix did not respond.
Local broadcasting authorities ruled that some of the episodes violated Philippine sovereignty and were “unfit for public display,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
This portrayal “is no accident because it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message,” namely that China’s land claims are “legitimate,” the ministry said, citing the decision of the broadcasting authority.
The president of the broadcasting authority, Rachel Arenas, assured AFP that Netflix had been ordered to delete episodes two, three and four. Episode four was still available on Monday.
Earlier this year, Vietnam filed a lawsuit on the same subject, prompting Netflix to remove the entire six-episode drama in the country.
Beijing ignored a 2016 international tribunal ruling that said its claim over most of the South China Sea was unfounded.
Tensions between Manila and Beijing over the waterway escalated further in March after hundreds of Chinese boats were spotted inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.