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

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims clash with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Maps are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Specific Violations

Customs authorities explained that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which outlines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine dashes which stretches a significant distance southeastward from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also omitted the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Cross-Strait Status

Authorities said the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the mislabelling was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan views itself as different from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Regional Tensions

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region flare up occasionally - in recent days over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government were involved in another incident.

Philippine authorities claimed a China's maritime craft of deliberately ramming and firing its water cannon at a Philippine government vessel.

But Beijing claimed the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to portrayals of the South China Sea in maps.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippines for displaying a maritime chart with the nine-segment boundary.

The declaration from customs authorities did not say where the intercepted items were planned for distribution. China supplies much of the global merchandise, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps seized in the Shandong region substantially surpasses previous confiscations. Goods that are non-compliant at the border control are disposed of.

In spring, border authorities at an airport in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of 143 navigation charts that included "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In August, border authorities in the northern province confiscated a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, contained a "misdrawing" of the the Tibet region's limits.