Prologue Journal

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China Customs seizes Hong Kong geography textbook said to wrongly depict Chinese borders

Hong Kong Free Press

A thousand copies of a geography textbook which was said to have incorrectly depicted China’s borders have been seized by China Customs before they were exported to Hong Kong.

The Chinese authority said on its official WeChat account on Friday that the publications were seized at the Huanggang checkpoint, which is on the border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, after customs personnel found the books inaccurately showed China’s boundaries.

Personnel of China Customs check and seize 1,000 copies of a geography textbook in Huanggang checkpoint in late 2024. Photo: China Customs.

According to the authority, the maps shown in the textbook did not accurately draw the borders near the Aksai Chin area, those near the South Tibet area, and did not include the Diaoyu Islands, including Chiwei Yu, islands in the South China Sea, and a U-shaped boundary line which consist of 10 dashes showing waters claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Both Aksai Chin and South Tibet lie on China’s border with India, and are also claimed by New Delhi, while the disputed Diaoyu Islands are claimed by Taiwan and controlled by Japan, where they are known at the Senkaku Islands. Additionally, Beijing’s claims to much of the economically important South China Sea are also subject to competing claims from neighbouring countries and have been rued to have no legal basis by an international court.

China Customs said the books “are suspected of endangering China’s national unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”

It added: “Maps are the primary representation of a country’s territorial boundaries, reflecting the scope of national sovereignty… Any printed materials and publications that do not comply with China’s regulations on the content of publicly available maps are strictly prohibited from entering or leaving the country.”

The map shown in the geography textbook is accused of wrongly depicting Chinese borders. Photo: China Customs.

The statement also published the map from the textbook, highlighting the areas that were said to inaccurately depict China’s borders.

Citing a response from the city’s Education Bureau, Ming Pao reported that the textbook was titled HKDSE Exam Series Getting 5** in 9 Weeks: Geography, and was first published in 2018 by the Hong Kong Educational Publishing Company.

HKFP has reached out to the Education Bureau and the publisher for comment.

Updated Chinese standard Map

In March, China Customs tore a page from a Hong Kong history textbook being carried by a student as they exited Hong Kong, saying the page contained a map inaccurately showing Chinese borders, HK01 reported.

The map in the history book was said to have presented Diaoyu Dao as Diaoyu Tai, a name used by Taiwanese authorities, and had not includes the U-shaped 10-dash line.

Updated standard Chinese map published by Chinese authorities. Photo: Chinese Gov't. — Updated standard Chinese map published by Chinese authorities. Photo: Chinese Gov’t.

Citing the publisher, HK01 reported that the book had been printed before Chinese authorities updated the Chinese Standard Map in August 2023, and therefore it had not had enough time to revise the textbook, get it reviewed by the Education Bureau and reprint it.

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