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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

The maps, officials stated, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims overlap with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

The "non-compliant" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for China and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Violations

China Customs stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash line, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine segments which runs numerous nautical miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also omitted the sea border between mainland China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Status

Customs representatives explained the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the improper identification was.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwan views itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Tensions

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

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

But Beijing said the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "dangerously approached" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippine release for showing a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The announcement from China Customs did not specify where the seized maps were planned for distribution. China supplies much of the global merchandise, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the quantity of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region significantly exceeds previous confiscations. Goods that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that featured "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated two "violating cartographic materials" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "misdrawing" of the the Tibet region's limits.