The Social Media 'War' Over the South China Sea

War has started over the South China Sea — online.

After the judgment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration was published, negating China’s nine-dash line claim to the South China Sea, many Chinese celebrities started to post pictures and comments on Weibo and Instagram supporting the nine-dash line and China’s ultimate ownership of South China Sea. In response, young Vietnamese, including fans of the Chinese stars, began their own anti-China campaign.

The tension surged after the PCA ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China. Consequently, Chinese netizens began to spread a map of their territory, including the nine-dash line, on social media. Many Chinese celebrities retweeted images bearing slogans like: “China: We cannot lose a single inch [of territory]” and “China’s territorial sovereignty doesn’t need others to arbitrate.”