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

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

The "non-compliant" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Maps are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Compliance Issues

China Customs said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash line, which defines China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which extends hundreds of miles southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan.

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

Taiwan Status

Authorities said the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government considers self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities views itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippine government were involved in another confrontation.

Philippine authorities accused a Chinese vessel of deliberately ramming and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing said the incident happened after the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnam are also especially concerned to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was prohibited in the Vietnamese market and censored in the Philippines for showing a maritime chart with the nine dash line.

The declaration from customs authorities did not specify where the seized maps were intended to be sold. The country supplies much of the international products, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "violating charts" by customs officials is relatively common - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds past seizures. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the border control are destroyed.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in Qingdao seized a batch of one hundred forty-three marine maps that included "clear mistakes" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province confiscated two "non-compliant charts" that, in addition to other issues, included a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibetan border.