🔗 Share this article

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

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

The "violating" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Violations

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

The boundary consists of nine dashes which extends a significant distance south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The seized maps also omitted the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Cross-Strait Status

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself different from the mainland China, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Tensions

Tensions in the South China Sea periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another confrontation.

Manila alleged a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing stated the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Historical Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also especially concerned to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in Vietnam and edited in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The announcement from China Customs did not specify where the confiscated materials were destined for sale. The country supplies much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The seizure of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps confiscated in Shandong significantly exceeds past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the border control are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city seized a shipment of 143 navigation charts that contained "apparent inaccuracies" in the national borders.

In late summer, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, in addition to other issues, included a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.