China intercepts 60,000 maps for 'improperly identifying' Taiwan

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

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

The "non-compliant" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a contentious issue for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities said that the maps also omitted the nine-segment line, which outlines Beijing's claim over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine dashes which extends numerous nautical miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, authorities said.

Taiwan Situation

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government considers self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own constitution and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

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

Manila claimed a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and deploying water jets at a Philippine government vessel.

But Chinese officials stated the incident happened after the Philippine ship ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The popular motion picture from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and modified in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from customs authorities did not indicate where the intercepted items were intended to be sold. The country produces much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps seized in Shandong easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Goods that are non-compliant at the customs are eliminated.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city seized a shipment of 143 navigation charts that included "obvious errors" in the sovereign limits.

In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, besides other problems, contained a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.