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

The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions conflict with those of its 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 the People's Republic of China, customs representatives stated.

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

Detailed Compliance Issues

China Customs stated that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which defines China's territorial assertion over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine lines which extends a significant distance south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also omitted the sea border between mainland China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Cross-Strait Status

Officials stated the maps incorrectly labeled "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

China considers self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has not ruled out the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwan sees itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Geopolitical Tensions

Disputes in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a official Philippine ship.

But Beijing said the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to depictions of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from 2023 was prohibited in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippines for displaying a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from customs authorities did not specify where the intercepted items were intended to be sold. The country provides much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps intercepted in Shandong significantly exceeds previous confiscations. Merchandise that fail inspection at the border control are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city intercepted a batch of 143 nautical charts that featured "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province intercepted a pair of "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, included a "incorrect depiction" of the the Tibet region's limits.