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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have seized 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "problematic" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, customs representatives stated.

Maps are a contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, islands and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

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

The boundary consists of nine segments which stretches a significant distance southeastward from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the sea border between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Status

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

The Chinese government views self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - in recent days over the weekend, when ships from China and the Philippine government figured in another incident.

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

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

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to representations of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The 2023 Barbie film from 2023 was prohibited in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine dash line.

The announcement from customs authorities did not specify where the seized maps were destined for sale. China provides much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The interception of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that do not meet standards at the border control are destroyed.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that included "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province confiscated two "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, featured a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.