🔗 Share this article

Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted sixty thousand maps that "mislabelled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, authorities said, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "non-compliant" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Compliance Issues

China Customs stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash boundary, which demarcates Beijing's claim over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which extends a significant distance southeastern direction from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the sea border between China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Situation

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan views itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Regional Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region flare up occasionally - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippines participated in another encounter.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials said the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to representations of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was banned in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release 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 planned for distribution. China produces much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Goods that are non-compliant at the customs are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that contained "clear mistakes" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibetan border.