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Customs authorities in China in eastern Shandong province have confiscated 60,000 maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions clash with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

The "problematic" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

Customs authorities stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash line, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The line comprises nine dashes which runs a significant distance south and east from its southernmost province of Hainan.

The seized maps also failed to indicate the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without specifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Disputes

Tensions in the South China Sea periodically escalate - just recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese vessel of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing said the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines failed to heed continual notices and "moved perilously near" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to depictions of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The popular motion picture from last year was banned in Vietnam and censored in the Philippines for depicting a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The declaration from China Customs did not indicate where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. The country provides much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Products that are non-compliant at the border control are destroyed.

In March, customs officers at an airport in the coastal city seized a shipment of one hundred forty-three marine maps that featured "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted two "problematic maps" that, besides other problems, contained a "improper representation" of the Tibetan border.