🔗 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 claims as part of its sovereign land.

The maps, officials stated, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "non-compliant" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, customs representatives stated.

Maps are a delicate subject for China and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash boundary, which outlines Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which extends numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also failed to indicate the sea border between China and Japan, authorities said.

Taiwan Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

The Chinese government sees self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region flare up occasionally - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and firing its water cannon at a Philippine government vessel.

But Beijing claimed the incident happened after the Philippine ship ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Previous Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also especially concerned to portrayals of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

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

The statement from China Customs did not indicate where the seized maps were destined for sale. China produces much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The confiscation of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the number of the maps seized in Shandong substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Products that are non-compliant at the customs are destroyed.

In spring, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a batch of 143 nautical charts that featured "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in the northern province intercepted two "non-compliant charts" that, among other things, contained a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.