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

The maps, authorities said, also "failed to include important islands" in the South China Sea, where China's territorial assertions conflict with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "problematic" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for Chinese authorities and its rivals for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Specific Compliance Issues

China Customs explained that the maps also failed to include the nine-segment line, which defines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine lines which runs a significant distance south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Status

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

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities views itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - in recent days over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippines participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities alleged a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming and using water cannons at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing said 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 particularly sensitive to depictions of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippines for showing a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The statement from China Customs did not indicate where the intercepted items were destined for sale. China supplies much of the international products, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps confiscated in Shandong substantially surpasses earlier interceptions. Goods that fail inspection at the border control are eliminated.

In March, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao seized a batch of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that included "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, border authorities in Hebei province intercepted a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, in addition to other issues, included a "incorrect depiction" of the the Tibet region's limits.