Beijing city to crackdown on maps not displaying Taiwan, disputed areas as part of China

Beijing: The Chinese capital Beijing will launch campaigns to address the issue of "problematic" maps that don't portray China's territory "correctly" including its claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea, and rectify the mistakes, the state media reported on Tuesday.

Thirteen Beijing municipal departments, including the Beijing cyberspace administration, will launch the 2020 annual campaigns inspecting problematic maps, demanding that map compilation companies, map publishers and map users as well as online map service providers self-examine and rectify, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources said on Tuesday.

Relevant departments will investigate maps that incorrectly portray China's territory, endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, or harm the nation's security and interests. If the circumstances are serious, relevant people will face criminal punishment, state-run Global Times report.

"Problematic maps refer to those that do not portray China's territory correctly, covering the inclusion of the island of Taiwan, the national boundary lines on Taiwan Island, clear delineation of the Diaoyu Island and islands in the South China Sea and nine-dash line. China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam claim parts of it.

Last year, China ordered the destruction of three lakh maps for not showing Arunachal Pradesh and Taiwan as part of its territory. The maps were printed for export to different countries.