The customs service of the Chinese province of Shandong has seized 60,000 maps because they “incorrectly marked” the island of Taiwan, which the PRC considers its territory. This is reported by the BBC.
According to the statement of customs officers, the maps with “incorrectly marked”Taiwan province” cannot be sold because they “threaten”the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. Among other remarks from the Chinese side is the absence of the nine-dash line, which reflects Beijing’s claims to almost the entire South China Sea, as well as the absence of a maritime border with Japan.
The issue of geographical maps is extremely sensitive for China and neighboring states, which also claim islands, reefs and rocks in the South China Sea. For example, in 2023, the film “Barbie” was banned in Vietnam and partially censored in the Philippines because of the depiction of the same nine-dash line. Although the removal of the “problematic” cards in China is not a rare phenomenon, the scale of the confiscation in Shandong significantly exceeded previous cases.
Tensions in the South China Sea periodically increase: the latest incident occurred on October 12, when a collision occurred between a Chinese and a Philippine ship. The Philippines accused Beijing of a deliberate ramming, while China stated that the Philippine side allegedly ignored warnings and “dangerously approached” the Chinese ship.
As a reminder, the PRC considers Taiwan its territory and does not exclude the possibility of forcibly seizing the island. In contrast, Taiwan considers itself an independent state, has its own constitution and democratically elected leaders.
