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

The maps, authorities said, also "failed to include important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims conflict with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Violations

China Customs stated that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which defines China's territorial assertion over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine lines which runs numerous nautical miles southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, authorities said.

Taiwan Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government sees self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan sees itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Regional Disputes

Conflicts in the South China Sea periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities alleged a China's maritime craft of purposefully hitting and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials said the incident happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also especially concerned to representations of the South China Sea in maps.

The Barbie movie from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and censored in the Philippine release for displaying a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The statement from China Customs did not indicate where the confiscated materials were destined for sale. The country supplies much of the global merchandise, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The interception of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds past seizures. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.

In spring, customs officers at an air transportation hub in the coastal city intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three marine maps that featured "apparent inaccuracies" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in the northern province seized two "non-compliant charts" that, among other things, contained a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.