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Customs authorities in China in eastern Shandong province have intercepted 60,000 maps that "mislabelled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

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

The "problematic" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.

Cartographic materials are a delicate subject for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Detailed Compliance Issues

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

The line comprises nine lines which runs numerous nautical miles southeastern direction from its most southerly province of Hainan.

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

Cross-Strait Situation

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "the Taiwan region", without specifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

China considers self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has kept open the possibility of the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as different from the Chinese mainland, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Tensions in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - in recent days over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another incident.

Philippine authorities alleged a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and firing its water cannon at a official Philippine ship.

But Chinese officials said the confrontation happened after the Philippine ship ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Previous Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also particularly sensitive to depictions of the South China Sea in maps.

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

The announcement from China Customs did not specify where the seized maps were intended to be sold. The country supplies much of the international products, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The seizure of "violating charts" by customs officials is frequently occurring - though the quantity of the maps seized in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the customs are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao intercepted a batch of 143 marine maps that included "apparent inaccuracies" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province intercepted two "violating cartographic materials" that, among other things, featured a "improper representation" of the the Tibet region's limits.