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Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted 60,000 maps that "improperly identified" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims conflict with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "non-compliant" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for China and its rivals for reefs, islands and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Specific Compliance Issues

Customs authorities said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash line, which outlines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The line comprises nine segments which stretches hundreds of miles southeastern direction from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The seized maps also did not mark the maritime boundary between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Status

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

The Chinese government sees self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself different from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Disputes

Tensions in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

Manila claimed a Chinese vessel of intentionally colliding with and deploying water jets at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials stated the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippines for displaying a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The statement from customs authorities did not indicate where the intercepted items were destined for sale. China supplies much of the global merchandise, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the number 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 the coastal city seized a batch of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that contained "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In late summer, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.