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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its territory.

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

The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.

Maps are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities stated that the maps also failed to include the nine-segment line, which defines Beijing's claim over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which stretches hundreds of miles southeastward from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between China and the Japanese archipelago, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Situation

Authorities said the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwan sees itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Regional Disputes

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

Philippine authorities accused a Chinese ship of intentionally colliding with and using water cannons at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials said the confrontation happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "dangerously approached" the Chinese ship.

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to depictions of the South China Sea in maps.

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

The announcement from China Customs did not say where the intercepted items were planned for distribution. China provides much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The confiscation of "violating charts" by customs officials is relatively common - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that fail inspection at the customs are disposed of.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao seized a batch of 143 nautical charts that contained "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.