🔗 Share this article

Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have seized 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

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

The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its rivals for reefs, islands and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

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

The boundary consists of nine dashes which stretches hundreds of miles southeastward from its southern province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Status

Customs representatives explained the maps incorrectly labeled "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

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

Regional Disputes

Disputes in the South China Sea periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippine government participated in another encounter.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing claimed the confrontation happened after the Philippine vessel failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Previous Similar Cases

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

The popular motion picture from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippines for depicting a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The statement from China Customs did not specify where the confiscated materials were destined for sale. The country produces much of the international products, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the amount of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in Qingdao seized a batch of 143 navigation charts that featured "clear mistakes" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, customs officers in Hebei province seized a pair of "problematic maps" that, besides other problems, contained a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.