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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have seized 60,000 maps that "improperly identified" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its territory.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "omitted 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 "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

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

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-segment line, which outlines Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine lines which runs a significant distance south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The seized maps also did not mark the sea border between China and the Japanese archipelago, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Status

Customs representatives explained the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has not ruled out the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwan considers itself separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Regional Disputes

Disputes in the disputed maritime region flare up occasionally - in recent days over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another encounter.

Philippine authorities accused a Chinese vessel of deliberately ramming and firing its water cannon at a Philippine government vessel.

But Beijing stated the confrontation happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Previous Similar Cases

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

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and modified in the Philippine release for depicting a maritime chart with the nine dash line.

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

The interception of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Goods that do not meet standards at the customs are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a shipment of 143 marine maps that featured "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province intercepted a pair of "problematic maps" that, among other things, featured a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.