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Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have seized 60,000 maps that "improperly identified" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its territory.

The maps, authorities said, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "problematic" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Maps are a sensitive topic for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, islands and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Compliance Issues

Customs authorities said that the maps also omitted the nine-segment line, which defines Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine lines which stretches hundreds of miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the oceanic demarcation between China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps incorrectly labeled "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

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

Regional Disputes

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

Manila alleged a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and deploying water jets at a official Philippine ship.

But Beijing stated the encounter happened after the Philippine vessel disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Similar Cases

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

The Barbie movie from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The announcement from China Customs did not say where the intercepted items were intended to be sold. China produces much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by customs officials is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps confiscated in Shandong substantially surpasses past seizures. Goods that do not meet standards at the customs are destroyed.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in Qingdao seized a batch of one hundred forty-three marine maps that contained "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, included a "misdrawing" of the the Tibet region's limits.