🔗 Share this article Chinese authorities intercepts sixty thousand cartographic materials for 'improperly identifying' Taiwan Customs officers recently seized a shipment of maps destined for overseas markets, which they described as "violating regulations" Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have seized sixty thousand maps that "mislabelled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities claims as part of its sovereign land. The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities. The "problematic" 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. Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and outcrops in the disputed maritime region. Specific Compliance Issues Customs authorities said that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash line, which outlines China's territorial assertion over the vast majority of the South China Sea. The demarcation includes nine dashes which extends a significant distance south and east from its southern province of Hainan Island. The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the maritime boundary between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said. Taiwan Situation Authorities said the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was. China considers self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials. Geopolitical Tensions Disputes in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippines figured in another confrontation. Manila accused a China's maritime craft of deliberately ramming and firing its water cannon at a official Philippine ship. But Chinese officials claimed the incident happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese ship. Previous Precedents The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials. The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine dash line. The statement from customs authorities did not say where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. China produces much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery. The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Goods that are non-compliant at the border control are eliminated. In March, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao seized a batch of 143 nautical charts that featured "apparent inaccuracies" in the sovereign limits. In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated two "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, included a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.