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.
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Southeast Asian countries have clashed with China over maritime claims in the region, where Beijing’s nine-dash-line encompasses waters the U.S. has said could contain unexploited hydrocarbons worth $2.5 trillion. Vietnam and China fought a war along their land border in 1979.