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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "failed to include important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, officials confirmed.

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

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-segment line, which defines China's territorial assertion over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which stretches numerous nautical miles south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the maritime boundary between China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Status

Authorities said the maps incorrectly labeled "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

China views self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as different from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Geopolitical Tensions

Tensions in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippines were involved in another incident.

Manila accused a China's maritime craft of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials said the incident happened after the Philippine ship failed to heed continual notices and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also especially concerned to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was banned in Vietnam and edited in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The statement from customs authorities did not say where the confiscated materials were planned for distribution. China produces much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the number of the maps intercepted in Shandong significantly exceeds past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the customs are disposed of.

In March, customs officers at an airport in the coastal city seized a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that featured "obvious errors" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in Hebei province seized a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, featured a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.