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

The maps, authorities said, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions overlap with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its rivals for reefs, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

China Customs explained that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which outlines China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which runs a significant distance southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The intercepted cartographic items also failed to indicate the maritime boundary between China and Japan, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Situation

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

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

Geopolitical Tensions

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

Manila accused a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials stated the confrontation happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "dangerously approached" the Chinese ship.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to representations of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

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

The announcement from customs authorities did not specify where the seized maps were planned for distribution. The country supplies much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The interception of "violating charts" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the quantity of the maps seized in Shandong substantially surpasses past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the border control are eliminated.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three marine maps that featured "obvious errors" in the sovereign limits.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, among other things, contained a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.