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

The maps, officials stated, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims overlap with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

The "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "compromise 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.

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities said that the maps also omitted the nine-segment line, which defines China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine dashes which runs hundreds of miles southeastward from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also omitted the sea border between China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Status

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

The Chinese government considers self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself different from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Disputes in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another encounter.

Philippine authorities claimed a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials claimed the incident happened after the Philippine vessel failed to heed continual notices and "came too close to" the Chinese ship.

Historical Precedents

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

The popular motion picture from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and modified in the Philippines for showing a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from customs authorities did not say where the seized maps were destined for sale. China provides much of the international products, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The confiscation of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps confiscated in the Shandong region substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the border control are disposed of.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in Qingdao confiscated a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that featured "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, featured a "misdrawing" of the the Tibet region's limits.