🔗 Share this article

Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have confiscated 60,000 maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing 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 neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

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

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

Specific Violations

Customs authorities stated that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which outlines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine dashes which extends numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The seized maps also omitted the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Cross-Strait Status

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

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

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the South China Sea periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government were involved in another encounter.

Manila accused a China's maritime craft of purposefully hitting and firing its water cannon at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials said the encounter happened after the Philippine ship ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to representations of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

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

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

The confiscation of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by customs officials is relatively common - though the number of the maps intercepted in Shandong substantially surpasses previous confiscations. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the border control are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao confiscated a batch of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that contained "clear mistakes" in the sovereign limits.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province intercepted a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, among other things, featured a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.