Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
The "non-compliant" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.
Maps are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.
Specific Compliance Issues
Customs authorities said that the maps also omitted the nine-segment line, which defines Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.
The demarcation includes nine segments which runs numerous nautical miles south and east from its southern province of Hainan.
The intercepted cartographic items also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, customs representatives stated.
Cross-Strait Status
Authorities said the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.
China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.
Geopolitical Tensions
Conflicts in the South China Sea periodically escalate - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government figured in another incident.
Philippine authorities accused a Chinese ship of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a Philippine government vessel.
But Beijing said the encounter happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.
Previous Similar Cases
The Philippines and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in maps.
The popular motion picture from last year was banned in Vietnam and modified in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.
The statement from customs authorities did not specify where the intercepted items were planned for distribution. China provides much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.
The interception of "problematic maps" by customs officials is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps confiscated in the Shandong region substantially surpasses previous confiscations. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the border control are destroyed.
In spring, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao seized a shipment of one hundred forty-three marine maps that contained "obvious errors" in the national borders.
In late summer, customs officers in the northern province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, besides other problems, featured a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.
