China intercepts 60,000 cartographic materials for 'improperly identifying' Taiwan

Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have seized 60,000 maps that "improperly identified" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its sovereign land.

The maps, officials stated, also "omitted important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "endanger 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 rivals for coral formations, islands and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

China Customs explained that the maps also omitted the nine-dash boundary, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine dashes which stretches hundreds of miles southeastern direction from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the maritime boundary between mainland China and Japan, authorities said.

Taiwan Status

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

The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwan views itself as different from the mainland China, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea periodically escalate - just recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another confrontation.

Manila claimed a Chinese ship of intentionally colliding with and deploying water jets at a official Philippine ship.

But Beijing stated the incident happened after the Philippine vessel disregarded multiple alerts and "dangerously approached" the Chinese ship.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The Barbie movie from 2023 was banned in Vietnam and edited in the Philippine release for displaying a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from customs authorities did not indicate where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. China provides much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The seizure of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the number of the maps intercepted in Shandong substantially surpasses previous confiscations. Merchandise that fail inspection at the customs are eliminated.

In spring, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of 143 navigation charts that included "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in the northern province seized two "non-compliant charts" that, among other things, featured a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.