CHAGEE in hot water for featuring controversial ‘nine-dash line’ map in app

Milk tea lovers in Malaysia and Vietnam are turning sour, and calling for the boycott of the CHAGEE brand, after the tea chain featured a controversial “nine-dash line” map in its mobile application. The nine-dash line is a visual representation of Beijing’s controversial territorial claims to significant parts of the South China Sea.

For years, China has maintained its stance over the disputed territories, even after a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which decided that China’s nine-dash line was invalid.  Malaysia does not recognise the map. The foreign ministry said previously, that the 2023 edition of the standard map of China, which extends into Malaysian maritime area, has no binding effect on Malaysia. 

Don't miss: CHAGEE apologises for misuse of 'Lunar New Year' translation

The controversy involving CHAGEE first began in Vietnam, as the brand launched an in-app promo ahead of its planned opening in Ho Chi Minh city. CHAGEE encouraged users to download its app to claim free drinks ahead of the store’s opening, only to be met with criticisms as potential customers discovered the nine-dash line map.  

Soon, Vietnamese social media users flooded to CHAGEE Vietnam’s Facebook page to leave negative comments. According to Vietnam Net Global, the upcoming CHAGEE shop in Ho Chi Minh had taken down its advertisements and branding, amid growing backlash. However, the outlet confirmed that renovations did not halt. At the time of writing, CHAGEE Vietnam’s 14 March post on Facebook about the Saigon Central Post Office garnered 56,000 angry reactions, and over 10,000 critical comments.  

The spillover then affected CHAGEE's Malaysia Facebook page where some Vietnamese social media users left negative comments and screen shots of the "nine-dash line" map.  This then saw Malaysian netizens taking to social media to complain about the issue, with some accusing the brand of using “soft propaganda”. Others called for the government to take action against the business, as reported by HYPE.my.

According to checks by A+M, the image on the CHAGEE app landing page has since been changed from the map to a blue pattern featuring some flora and fauna.  So far, CHAGEE Malaysia has not publicly responded to the backlash, and is continuing to push its new duit Raya (Raya money) packets.

This isn't CHAGEE's first uncomfortable brush with the Malaysian public. Previously, CHAGEE Malaysia received backlash for its “Tear & Win” campaign, after its employee was discovered to have hidden the cups with prizes at the back of the store. CHAGEE Malaysia had released an apology stating that the employee's behaviour "does not reflect the standards we hold ourselves to". 

This year, CHAGEE’s global team publicly apologised for translating the Chinese Spring Festival as "Lunar New Year" instead of “Chinese New Year” on its official Instagram account, drawing criticism from Chinese netizens of “de-sinicisation”.  

Meanwhile, Beijing’s nine-dash line map has been a source of contention across Southeast Asia. In 2019, DreamWorks’ animated feature “Abominable” was banned in Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines for depicting the nine-dash line map in its film.  “Abominable” was about a Chinese teen who discovered a Yeti in her house and goes on a journey to bring the creature back to Mount Everest. The movie was passed for DVD release by United International Pictures Malaysia.  

Separately, The Barbie Movie was banned in Vietnam two years ago, for also featuring the nine-dash line map. Warner Bros had defended the map, suggesting that it was a whimsical child-like crayon drawing, adding that the doodles depicted Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the real world and was not intended to make any type of statement.  

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