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

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "omitted important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions clash with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "non-compliant" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Maps are a contentious issue for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash boundary, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which runs a significant distance south and east from its southern province of Hainan.

The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the maritime boundary between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwan sees itself as different from the mainland China, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Geopolitical Disputes

Tensions in the South China Sea periodically escalate - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippine government participated in another confrontation.

Manila alleged a Chinese vessel of deliberately ramming and deploying water jets at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials claimed the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines failed to heed continual notices and "dangerously approached" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to representations of the South China Sea in maps.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and censored in the Philippine release for showing a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The statement from customs authorities did not specify where the intercepted items were planned for distribution. China provides much of the international products, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the quantity of the maps seized in Shandong significantly exceeds past seizures. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the customs are eliminated.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that featured "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in the northern province intercepted two "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, contained a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.