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Chinese customs officers in eastern Shandong province have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

The maps, officials stated, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "non-compliant" maps, destined for overseas markets, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.

Maps are a contentious issue for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, islands and rock formations in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Violations

Customs authorities explained that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash line, which demarcates China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The line comprises nine segments which runs a significant distance south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also omitted the oceanic demarcation between China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Status

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the mislabelling was.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself different from the mainland China, with its own governing document and elected leadership.

Regional Disputes

Disputes in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another incident.

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

But Beijing claimed the confrontation happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "dangerously approached" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Precedents

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippines for depicting a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The declaration from China Customs did not indicate where the intercepted items were intended to be sold. China produces much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The interception of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Goods that fail inspection at the customs are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in the coastal city confiscated a shipment of one hundred forty-three nautical charts that included "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In late summer, border authorities in the northern province confiscated a pair of "problematic maps" that, in addition to other issues, featured a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.