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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

The maps, authorities said, also "failed to include important islands" in the South China Sea, where Beijing's claims clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "non-compliant" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities explained that the maps also did not contain the nine-segment line, which demarcates Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which stretches hundreds of miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also did not mark the maritime boundary between China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself distinct from the mainland China, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government were involved in another confrontation.

Philippine authorities alleged a China's maritime craft of purposefully hitting and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing claimed the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines failed to heed continual notices and "dangerously approached" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and censored in the Philippines for displaying a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from China Customs did not say where the confiscated materials were planned for distribution. The country provides much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The seizure of "violating charts" by customs officials is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Goods that are non-compliant at the customs are eliminated.

In spring, customs officers at an air transportation hub in the coastal city intercepted a batch of 143 nautical charts that included "obvious errors" in the sovereign limits.

In late summer, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, contained a "improper representation" of the Tibetan border.