🔗 Share this article

Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted 60,000 maps that "improperly identified" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, officials stated, also "failed to include important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions conflict with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Maps are a contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its rivals for reefs, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-segment line, which demarcates Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine lines which extends hundreds of miles southeastern direction from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The seized maps also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the improper identification was.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwan considers itself distinct from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Regional Tensions

Disputes in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government participated in another confrontation.

Manila claimed a China's maritime craft of intentionally colliding with and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

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

Previous Similar Cases

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

The popular motion picture from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippines for showing a maritime chart with the nine dash line.

The statement from customs authorities did not specify where the confiscated materials were planned for distribution. The country produces much of the international products, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "problematic maps" by customs officials is not uncommon - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Goods that do not meet standards at the border control are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao seized a batch of 143 nautical charts that featured "clear mistakes" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated two "violating cartographic materials" that, besides other problems, contained a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.