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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have seized sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "omitted important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims conflict with those of its regional 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 the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Maps are a delicate subject for China and its rivals for coral formations, islands and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities explained that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash boundary, which defines Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine lines which extends numerous nautical miles southeastward from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the sea border between China and Japan, authorities said.

Taiwan Status

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

China sees self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan considers itself separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea periodically escalate - just recently over the weekend, when ships from China and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

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

But Chinese officials claimed the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "dangerously approached" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The Barbie movie from 2023 was prohibited in Vietnam and edited in the Philippine release for depicting a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The statement from China Customs did not indicate where the seized maps were intended to be sold. The country provides much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The confiscation of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps confiscated in Shandong significantly exceeds past seizures. Goods that fail inspection at the border control are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao intercepted a shipment of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that featured "clear mistakes" in the sovereign limits.

In late summer, customs officers in Hebei province intercepted a pair of "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, included a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.