Chinese customs in Shandong province have confiscated 60,000 maps for inaccurately depicting Taiwan and disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The maps “mislabeled” the island of 台湾, which China claims as its territory, and omitted key islands claimed by Beijing but disputed by countries like the Philippines and Vietnam.
The seized maps also failed to show the nine-dash line, which China uses to assert its claim over much of the South China Sea, and did not mark the maritime boundary between China and Japan. Authorities said these errors threaten “national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” banning the maps from export and ordering their destruction.
China views Taiwan as a province under its sovereignty despite the island’s self-governance and democratic system. Tensions in the South China Sea remain high, exemplified by a recent clash between Chinese and Philippine vessels, with each side accusing the other of aggressive behaviour.
This is not the first time customs have seized maps with disputed or incorrect territorial depictions. Earlier seizures occurred in Qingdao and Hebei provinces involving maps with border errors in the South China Sea and Tibet.