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

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "left out important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

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

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for China and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Specific Compliance Issues

China Customs said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash boundary, which defines China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine lines which runs hundreds of miles south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan.

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

Taiwan Status

Authorities said the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without specifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government views self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan sees itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Tensions

Disputes in the South China Sea periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when ships from China and the Philippines participated in another confrontation.

Philippine authorities alleged a China's maritime craft of intentionally colliding with and using water cannons at a government-owned Philippine craft.

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

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to representations of the South China Sea in maps.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippines for showing a South China Sea map with the nine dash line.

The statement from China Customs did not say where the seized maps were destined for sale. The country produces much of the global merchandise, 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 Shandong easily eclipses past seizures. Merchandise that fail inspection at the border control are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a shipment of one hundred forty-three marine maps that contained "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province seized two "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, contained a "misdrawing" of the the Tibet region's limits.