Vietnam Tells Importers to Reject Items With Disputed South China Sea Map

Navigation equipment sits in the cabin of a fishing trawler in Quang Nam, Vietnam, on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Fishermen are on the front lines of Asia’s most complex territorial dispute, which involves six claimants and outside powers like the U.S. with an interest in protecting a waterway that carries more than $3 trillion in trade each year.
Elan/Bloomberg

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By Nguyen Xuan Quynh

November 21, 2019 at 8:40 AM UTC

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Vietnam wants its importers to ensure that what they’re bringing into the country won’t contain a disputed South China Sea map that’s been spotted in items from vehicle navigation to solar inverter software.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade, in a statement on the website, said companies must review contracts and improve their monitoring of the imported goods. For high risk items like maps, publications, gadgets, importers must ask sellers for a “written commitment” that none of the products violate Vietnam’s sovereignty.