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Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "mislabelled" 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 South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

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 delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Specific Compliance Issues

Customs authorities said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash boundary, which outlines Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which extends a significant distance south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the sea border between China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Status

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

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

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials stated the incident happened after the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to portrayals of the South China Sea in maps.

The popular motion picture from 2023 was banned in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release for showing a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from customs authorities did not indicate where the seized maps were intended to be sold. China provides much of the international products, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region substantially surpasses past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao seized a batch of 143 marine maps that included "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province seized two "problematic maps" that, besides other problems, featured a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.