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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "mislabelled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its sovereign land.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

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

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for coral formations, islands and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Compliance Issues

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

The demarcation includes nine segments which extends numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also did not mark the maritime boundary between China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

China views 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 considers itself separate from the mainland China, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Disputes

Tensions in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - most recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippine government were involved in another encounter.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of intentionally colliding with and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing stated the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also especially concerned to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The popular motion picture from 2023 was prohibited in Vietnam and modified in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The statement from customs authorities did not specify where the intercepted items were destined for sale. China produces much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The interception of "violating charts" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Products that are non-compliant at the border control are disposed of.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in the coastal city confiscated a batch of 143 marine maps that included "apparent inaccuracies" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in Hebei province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, besides other problems, included a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.