Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its territory.
The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions clash with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.
The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.
Maps are a delicate subject for China and its rivals for reefs, maritime features and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.
Detailed Violations
China Customs explained that the maps also omitted the nine-dash boundary, which outlines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.
The demarcation includes nine segments which extends a significant distance southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.
The intercepted cartographic items also did not mark the sea border between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.
Taiwan Status
Officials stated the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the mislabelling was.
China sees self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself different from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.
Geopolitical Disputes
Disputes in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another confrontation.
Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming and deploying water jets at a official Philippine ship.
But Chinese officials claimed the encounter happened after the Philippine vessel disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.
Previous Precedents
The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to representations of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.
The 2023 Barbie film from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippines for showing a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.
The statement from customs authorities did not say where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. The country supplies much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery.
The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps intercepted in Shandong substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.
In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in the coastal city confiscated a batch of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that included "apparent inaccuracies" in the sovereign limits.
In August, border authorities in Hebei province seized two "problematic maps" that, among other things, included a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibetan border.
