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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "improperly identified" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its rivals for reefs, maritime features and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

China Customs said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash boundary, which outlines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which extends numerous nautical miles south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The seized maps also omitted the maritime boundary between China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Taiwan Situation

Authorities said the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

China sees self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippines figured in another incident.

Philippine authorities accused a China's maritime craft of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials claimed the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also especially concerned to representations of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The popular motion picture from 2023 was banned in Vietnam and modified in the Philippine release for displaying a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from customs authorities did not indicate where the seized maps were planned for distribution. The country provides much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The seizure of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the quantity of the maps confiscated in Shandong significantly exceeds previous confiscations. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the border control are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city confiscated a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that contained "obvious errors" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, contained a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.