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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its sovereign land.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims clash with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

The "non-compliant" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

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

Specific Violations

China Customs stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-segment line, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine lines which runs a significant distance southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The confiscated materials also did not mark the sea border between China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Status

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

China views self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Regional Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when ships from China and the Philippines figured in another encounter.

Manila accused a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing said the encounter happened after the Philippine ship failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Previous 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 2023 was prohibited in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from China Customs did not indicate where the intercepted items were intended to be sold. China supplies much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The interception of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the number of the maps seized in Shandong significantly exceeds past seizures. Goods that are non-compliant at the border control are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that included "clear mistakes" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted two "non-compliant charts" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "incorrect depiction" of the the Tibet region's limits.