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

The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

The "problematic" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, maritime features and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities said that the maps also failed to include the nine-segment line, which defines Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine segments which stretches numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the sea border between mainland China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Status

Authorities said the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without specifying what exactly the improper identification 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 views itself as different from the mainland China, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Disputes

Disputes in the disputed maritime region periodically escalate - just recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government figured in another confrontation.

Philippine authorities alleged a Chinese vessel of deliberately ramming and using water cannons at a Philippine government vessel.

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

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to portrayals of the South China Sea in maps.

The popular motion picture from 2023 was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release for showing a South China Sea map with the nine dash line.

The declaration from China Customs did not say where the intercepted items were destined for sale. China produces much of the international products, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "problematic maps" by customs officials is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps confiscated in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the border control are disposed of.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city confiscated a batch of 143 marine maps that featured "clear mistakes" in the sovereign limits.

In late summer, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted two "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, included a "improper representation" of the Tibetan border.