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Customs authorities in China in eastern Shandong province have intercepted sixty thousand maps that "mislabelled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its territory.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "failed to include important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "problematic" maps, meant for export, 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 contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Violations

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

The line comprises nine lines which runs numerous nautical miles southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also omitted the sea border between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Status

Customs representatives explained the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the improper identification 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 sees itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Regional Disputes

Disputes in the disputed maritime region periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government figured in another incident.

Manila accused a China's maritime craft of purposefully hitting and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials said the confrontation happened after the Philippine ship failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Previous Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also especially concerned to portrayals of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was banned in Vietnam and modified in the Philippines for depicting a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The announcement from China Customs did not specify where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. The country produces much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The seizure of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps intercepted in Shandong easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the customs are disposed of.

In spring, customs officers at an air transportation hub in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of 143 marine maps that included "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province intercepted a pair of "problematic maps" that, among other things, included a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.