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

The maps, officials stated, 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 Vietnamese authorities.

The "non-compliant" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, customs representatives stated.

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

Specific Compliance Issues

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

The line comprises nine segments which stretches hundreds of miles southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The seized maps also failed to indicate the sea border between China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Situation

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

China views self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities views itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Regional Tensions

Tensions in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another encounter.

Philippine authorities accused a China's maritime craft of intentionally colliding with and deploying water jets at a official Philippine ship.

But Beijing said the confrontation happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The popular motion picture from 2023 was prohibited in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippine release for showing a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

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

The interception of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the number of the maps confiscated in Shandong easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Goods that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.

In spring, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a shipment of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that included "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, customs officers in the northern province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, contained a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibetan border.