Filipinos call to boycott Kinbor planners for displaying China’s nine-dash line map

Stationery enthusiasts say the map disregards the PH’s maritime rights.

Filipino stationery enthusiasts have called for a boycott of planner brand Kinbor for displaying a map of China that includes the nine-dash line, which contradicts the 2016 international arbitral ruling upholding the Philippines’ sovereign rights in parts of the South China Sea.

U.S.-based Filipino content creator Lea Villena, who goes by the TikTok handle @theluckywonder, first raised concerns about the planners in a video posted on September 18.

“This is going to be controversial, at least in the stationery world… but I will never use a Kinbor ever because of the nine-dash line depicted on the map at the back of some of the Kinbors,” she said.

Many agreed with Villena’s sentiments, and the video eventually spread across social media. Others in the Filipino journaling community also called for a boycott of Kinbor planners, citing the map’s apparent disregard for the Philippines’ sovereign rights.

“Filipinos still supporting Kinbor who prints the nine dash line on their planners WHEN THERE ARE OTHER CHINESE BRANDS THAT DON’T, is not a good look. Tolerating this company as a Filipino is shameful,” said Threads user @ft.heri17.

Kinbor produces low-cost planner notebooks available in different colors and designs, with both dated and undated options. The brand is owned by Chinese stationery manufacturer and exporter GuangBo Group Stock Co.

The nine-dash line refers to China’s claim to a vast area of the South China Sea, as depicted on its maps. The international community has criticized the claim for overlapping with the maritime rights of other nations.

The Philippines and its allies, in particular, have taken issue with the nine-dash line for directly contradicting the 2016 ruling of an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which rejected the legal basis of China’s claims to historic rights within the nine-dash line.

The ruling affirmed that the Philippines enjoys sovereign rights over resources in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including areas around Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef), Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), and Reed Bank (Recto Bank). These rights allow the Philippines to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage natural resources in the area.

Under UNCLOS, signatory nations are entitled to an exclusive economic zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from their coastal baselines.

The maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago, including portions of the South China Sea within the country’s jurisdiction, are collectively referred to as the West Philippine Sea under Philippine law.

China has repeatedly rejected the arbitral ruling, maintaining its claims over the disputed waters despite the tribunal’s decision.

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