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

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

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

Specific Compliance Issues

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

The demarcation includes nine lines which runs numerous nautical miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also did not mark the maritime boundary between mainland China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Status

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government views self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as different from the mainland China, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - in recent days over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippines were involved in another confrontation.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials said the confrontation happened after the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings and "dangerously approached" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnam are also especially concerned to portrayals of the South China Sea in maps.

The popular motion picture from 2023 was banned in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The declaration from China Customs did not specify where the intercepted items were intended to be sold. The country produces much of the international products, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The seizure of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the quantity of the maps seized in Shandong significantly exceeds previous confiscations. Goods that fail inspection at the border control are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of 143 navigation charts that contained "clear mistakes" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in the northern province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, in addition to other issues, contained a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.