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

The maps, officials stated, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities explained that the maps also omitted the nine-segment line, which demarcates Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine dashes which runs numerous nautical miles southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the maritime boundary between China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Status

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the improper identification was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan views itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Regional Tensions

Tensions in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when ships from China and the Philippines figured in another incident.

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

But Chinese officials claimed the confrontation happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Similar Cases

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

The Barbie movie from 2023 was banned in the Vietnamese market and censored in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The announcement from customs authorities did not say where the intercepted items were destined for sale. The country produces much of the global merchandise, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The confiscation of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the number of the maps intercepted in Shandong substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the customs are eliminated.

In spring, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that included "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, border authorities in Hebei province confiscated a pair of "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "incorrect depiction" of the the Tibet region's limits.