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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have seized sixty thousand maps that "improperly identified" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities considers part of its sovereign land.

The maps, officials stated, also "omitted 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 "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Maps are a delicate subject for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities said that the maps also omitted the nine-dash line, which outlines Beijing's claim over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which extends a significant distance south and east from its southern province of Hainan Island.

The confiscated materials also failed to indicate the oceanic demarcation between China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Status

Authorities said the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without clarifying 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 military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as different from the mainland China, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government were involved in another confrontation.

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

But Chinese officials claimed the incident happened after the Philippine vessel disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese ship.

Previous Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to depictions of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippine release for depicting a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The announcement from customs authorities did not say where the confiscated materials were intended to be sold. China supplies much of the world's goods, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The seizure of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is not uncommon - though the amount of the maps seized in Shandong easily eclipses past seizures. Products that do not meet standards at the border control are destroyed.

In March, customs officers at an airport in the coastal city intercepted a shipment of 143 marine maps that contained "obvious errors" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in the northern province seized two "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, featured a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibet's boundaries.