In a significant customs seizure, Chinese authorities in Shandong province have intercepted 60,000 maps that were found to mislabel the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a part of its territory. The maps are also reported to have omitted key islands in the South China Sea, an area with overlapping territorial claims among China and its neighboring countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
These “problematic” maps, intended for export, have been deemed unsellable as they are said to compromise China’s national unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Maps depicting geographical and political boundaries, especially in sensitive regions like the South China Sea, are often subjects of contention and scrutiny for China and its regional rivals.
The Chinese Customs statement noted that the maps failed to include the “nine-dash line,” a demarcation that represents China’s expansive claim over the South China Sea, extending hundreds of miles from its southern Hainan province. Furthermore, the maps reportedly did not accurately illustrate the maritime boundaries between China and Japan.
Regarding Taiwan, the maps reportedly mislabeled it as “Taiwan province,” although the exact nature of the mislabeling was not specified. China’s stance is that Taiwan is a breakaway province, and it has not renounced the possibility of using force to reclaim it. However, Taiwan maintains its autonomy, with its own constitution and democratically elected leadership.
The incident occurs amidst heightened tensions in the South China Sea. Recently, a maritime encounter between Chinese and Philippine vessels involved accusations of ramming and water cannon use, with both sides presenting conflicting accounts of the events. China has stated that the Philippine vessel approached its ship in a dangerous manner despite repeated warnings.
Confiscations of maps with perceived inaccuracies by Chinese customs officials are not uncommon, but the scale of this seizure in Shandong is noted as being larger than previous incidents. Items failing customs inspection are typically destroyed. Earlier this year, customs at Qingdao airport seized 143 nautical charts with incorrect border depictions, and in August, Hebei customs confiscated two maps with misdrawn Tibetan borders.