Chinese authorities seizes sixty thousand cartographic materials for 'mislabelling' the island of Taiwan

Customs authorities in China in eastern Shandong province have intercepted 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its sovereign land.

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

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

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for China and its regional competitors for reefs, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Compliance Issues

China Customs said that the maps also omitted the nine-dash boundary, which demarcates Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which extends numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also omitted the maritime boundary between China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Situation

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the improper identification was.

The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities views itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.

Geopolitical Disputes

Disputes in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - in recent days over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippines were involved in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming and using water cannons at a official Philippine ship.

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

Historical Precedents

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

The popular motion picture from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippines for showing a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The declaration from customs authorities did not specify where the seized maps were planned for distribution. China produces much of the international products, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the amount of the maps intercepted in Shandong substantially surpasses past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the customs are disposed of.

In March, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao intercepted a batch of 143 nautical charts that featured "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in the northern province intercepted a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, contained a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.