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

The maps, authorities said, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims conflict with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

The "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, islands and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities stated that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash boundary, which outlines Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine dashes which runs numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

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

Cross-Strait Situation

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

China sees self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities views itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Regional Tensions

Tensions in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities alleged a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials stated the incident happened after the Philippine vessel failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also especially concerned to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippine release for showing a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from China Customs did not specify where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. The country supplies much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by customs officials is relatively common - though the quantity of the maps intercepted in Shandong substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Goods that do not meet standards at the customs are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city confiscated a batch of 143 navigation charts that included "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, customs officers in the northern province seized a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, besides other problems, contained a "misdrawing" of the Tibet's boundaries.