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Hadi Azmi

Chinese tea chain Chagee has once again landed in hot water with Malaysia’s censorious consumers after its mobile app displayed a map with Beijing’s disputed nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea, sparking boycott calls and nationalist outrage.
Southeast Asia is in the throes of a boom in Chinese food and drinks brands, driven by rising wealth and a shift in consumer attitudes towards American chains.
While Chinese products – from bubble tea to electric vehicles – are widely embraced, tensions persist over Beijing’s expansive claims in the resource-rich waterway, which overlap with those of Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In Malaysia, calls to shun Chagee spread on social media after users discovered that its app prominently displayed the controversial nine-dash line. The Facebook group “Malaysian-souled Chinese” was among those leading the charge.
This brand “has insulted the sovereignty of our maritime region,” the group posted.
“As Malaysians, we must stand together. I call on our patriotic brothers and sisters to boycott this brand to defend the sovereignty and dignity of our country.”
The backlash comes despite Chagee’s strong presence in Malaysia, where it has soaked up customers as patrons desert American brands linked to the US-backed war in Gaza like Starbucks and McDonald’s.
The brand also copped flak in November when its staff were seen tampering with a lucky draw to win luxury handbags and top-end electronic products for themselves as part of its seventh anniversary.
Caught on a TikTok video, it led to anger among many who joined long queues at more than 100 Chagee outlets across Malaysia to try their luck.


Competing claims over the contested seas are incendiary issues to Southeast Asia’s public.
A leaked diplomatic note last August revealed that Beijing reportedly demanded that Malaysia immediately halt all activities in an oil-rich maritime area off Sarawak state on Borneo island, accusing the country of encroaching on areas covered by its sweeping unilateral claim over 90 per cent of the sea.
While Chagee has since removed the controversial map from its app, many in Malaysia and Vietnam remain unconvinced.
On Chagee Vietnam’s Facebook page, users bombarded it with boycott calls, referring to the nine-dash line by its Vietnamese name đường lưỡi bò (cow’s tongue line).
“You want to do business in another country while stealing land, islands, and the country itself? No matter how famous you are, go home!” wrote Vietnamese Facebook user Sophie Luu.
The scandal erupted just as Chagee prepared to enter Vietnam with its first outlet in Ho Chi Minh City.
Photos circulating on social media showed Chagee’s Vietnamese store – originally decked out in its signature red branding – painted over in grey, adding to speculation that its launch may not go forward.
Malaysians, meanwhile, protested the visit of two Chinese navy to Penang in October over South China Sea sentiments.
The government, however, defended the engagement, calling it a “convivial visit”.


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Irate consumers spur boycott calls after Chinese tea chain’s app prominently displayed the controversial nine-dash line


Irate consumers spur boycott calls after Chinese tea chain’s app prominently displayed the controversial nine-dash line.


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