🔗 Share this article

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

The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims conflict with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

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

Maps are a sensitive topic for China and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Specific Violations

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

The demarcation includes nine dashes which extends a significant distance southeastern direction from its southern province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also omitted the maritime boundary between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Situation

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has not ruled out the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwan views itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Regional Tensions

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government figured in another confrontation.

Philippine authorities alleged a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials said the confrontation happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to portrayals of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

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

The declaration from customs authorities did not specify where the seized maps were destined for sale. China supplies much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by customs officials is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the customs are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao confiscated a batch of 143 navigation charts that featured "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In late summer, border authorities in Hebei province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, among other things, contained a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.