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Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted sixty thousand maps that "improperly identified" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

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

The "violating" maps, meant for export, 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 rivals for reefs, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

China Customs stated that the maps also omitted the nine-segment line, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which extends numerous nautical miles south and east from its southern 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 improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

The Chinese government considers self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwan views itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Disputes

Disputes in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - in recent days over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government were involved in another incident.

Philippine authorities accused a China's maritime craft of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a Philippine government vessel.

But Chinese officials stated the encounter happened after the Philippine vessel failed to heed continual notices and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from 2023 was banned in Vietnam and censored in the Philippines for displaying a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The declaration from China Customs did not indicate where the confiscated materials were destined for sale. The country supplies much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The confiscation of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by customs officials is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Merchandise that fail inspection at the border control are eliminated.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in the coastal city intercepted a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that featured "apparent inaccuracies" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, included a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.