🔗 Share this article

Customs authorities in China in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims conflict with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

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

Maps are a contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Specific Compliance Issues

China Customs stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash boundary, which outlines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine segments which runs a significant distance southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The seized maps also did not mark the sea border between China and Japan, authorities said.

Taiwan Situation

Authorities said the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has not ruled out the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Tensions in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippines participated in another encounter.

Philippine authorities alleged a China's maritime craft of deliberately ramming and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing claimed the confrontation happened after the vessel from the Philippines failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Precedents

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

The Barbie movie from 2023 was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from customs authorities did not indicate where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. The country produces much of the international products, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The confiscation of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Merchandise that fail inspection at the border control are destroyed.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a shipment of 143 marine maps that contained "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, in addition to other issues, contained a "incorrect depiction" of the the Tibet region's limits.