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Customs authorities in China in eastern Shandong province have seized sixty thousand maps that "mislabelled" the self-governed island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, authorities said, also "left out important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions conflict with those of its regional neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnam.

The "non-compliant" 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.

Cartographic materials are a contentious issue for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

China Customs stated that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which defines Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine dashes which extends a significant distance southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the sea border between China and the Japanese archipelago, officials confirmed.

Taiwan Status

Officials stated the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the mislabelling was.

The Chinese government views self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Disputes

Tensions 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 encounter.

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

But Chinese officials said the encounter happened after the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to representations of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The popular motion picture from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and edited in the Philippine release for showing a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The announcement from customs authorities did not say where the intercepted items were planned for distribution. China produces much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The confiscation of "violating charts" by customs officials is relatively common - though the quantity of the maps confiscated in Shandong easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Merchandise that fail inspection at the customs are destroyed.

In March, customs officers at an air transportation hub in the coastal city intercepted a batch of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that featured "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated two "non-compliant charts" that, in addition to other issues, contained a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.