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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have seized sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as 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 Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Violations

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

The demarcation includes nine dashes which runs numerous nautical miles southeastward from its southern province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also omitted the maritime boundary between mainland China and Japan, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Status

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

The Chinese government considers 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 separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - most recently over the weekend, when vessels from China and the Philippine government figured in another incident.

Manila claimed a Chinese vessel of purposefully hitting and using water cannons at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing said the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines failed to heed continual notices and "dangerously approached" the Chinese ship.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also especially concerned to representations of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and modified in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the nine dash line.

The statement from China Customs did not say where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. China produces much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The confiscation of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is relatively common - though the number of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the customs are destroyed.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao seized a shipment of 143 marine maps that featured "apparent inaccuracies" in the sovereign limits.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province confiscated a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, included a "incorrect depiction" of the the Tibet region's limits.