China's Passport 2012

China's new passport includes a stylized map that shows China and various islands China claims. Some neighboring countries have claimed stamping the passport means they recognize China's government and its claims to disputed islands.

Zha Daojiong, an international relations expert at Peking University, said the real reason why Chinese authorities decided to print the map on passports is difficult to discern. "We have different agencies, different individuals," he said. "Sometimes people assume it's all very well co-ordinated, but that may not always be the case."