Vietnam announced that it will bar the film’s commercial release due to the depiction of a map, “nine dash line,” a disputed representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines, like Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia, have competing claims in the South China Sea and strongly refute China’s claim to the entire maritime region.

“If the invalidated 9-dash line was indeed depicted in the movie Barbie then it is incumbent upon the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to ban the same as it denigrates Philippine sovereignty,” said Philippines Senator Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, according to local media reports.

“We confirm that the Board has reviewed the film ‘Barbie’ today, 04 July 2023. At this time, the assigned Committee on First Review is deliberating on the request of Warner Brothers F.E. Inc. for a Permit to Exhibit. Once available, a copy of the Permit to Exhibit or the Committee’s decision will be uploaded to the Agency’s official website,” the MTRBC said.

Last year, the MTRBC blocked the release of Uncharted in The Philippines for the same reasons.

Senators will discuss a compromise, asking distributor Warner to edit out the offending scene in Barbie, though there is no certainty the studio would agree.

The South China Sea contains some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and mineral resources. China has bolstered its claim to control the area by reinforcing reefs and reclaiming land around tidal maritime features that are several hundred miles from its continental coastline.

The Philippines coast guard clashes with fleets of Chinese boats that are claimed to be fishing vessels, but which others claim are part of a vast attempt to intimidate neighbors. Vietnam makes frequent complaints about Chinese vessels operating in close proximity to maritime oil production rigs in waters that Vietnam claims.