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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have seized 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its sovereign land.

The maps, officials stated, also "omitted 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 "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a contentious issue for China and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Violations

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

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

The intercepted cartographic items also failed to indicate the sea border between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Cross-Strait Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps incorrectly labeled "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the improper identification was.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region flare up occasionally - just recently over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government were involved in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese vessel of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a official Philippine ship.

But Beijing stated the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "moved perilously near" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnam are also especially concerned to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from 2023 was banned in Vietnam and edited in the Philippines for depicting a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from China Customs did not indicate where the seized maps were intended to be sold. China supplies much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "violating charts" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Merchandise that fail inspection at the border control are eliminated.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in the coastal city intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that contained "obvious errors" in the sovereign limits.

In August, customs officers in the northern province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, included a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.