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Customs authorities in China in the coastal province of Shandong have confiscated sixty thousand maps that "improperly identified" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, officials stated, also "failed to include important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where China's territorial assertions clash 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 China, officials confirmed.

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

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities said that the maps also did not contain the nine-dash boundary, which defines Beijing's claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine dashes which runs a significant distance southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The seized maps also failed to indicate the maritime boundary between mainland China and Japan, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Status

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the improper identification was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities views itself as different from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Regional Tensions

Disputes in the South China Sea periodically escalate - most recently over the weekend, when ships from China and the Philippines were involved in another confrontation.

Manila accused a China's maritime craft of deliberately ramming and firing its water cannon at a Philippine government vessel.

But Beijing stated the confrontation happened after the Philippine vessel disregarded multiple alerts and "moved perilously near" the Chinese ship.

Previous Precedents

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

The popular motion picture from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release for displaying a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from customs authorities did not specify where the seized maps were intended to be sold. The country provides much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to office supplies.

The interception of "problematic maps" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the number of the maps seized in the Shandong region significantly exceeds earlier interceptions. Products that fail inspection at the border control are destroyed.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao seized a shipment of 143 navigation charts that contained "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, customs officers in Hebei province seized a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, besides other problems, included a "misdrawing" of the Tibet's boundaries.