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

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

The "non-compliant" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "endanger national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, customs representatives stated.

Maps are a contentious issue for China and its rivals for reefs, islands and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

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

The demarcation includes nine dashes which runs numerous nautical miles southeastward from its southernmost province of Hainan Island.

The intercepted cartographic items also did not mark the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Status

Authorities said the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without detailing what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government sees self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Geopolitical Tensions

Tensions in the disputed maritime region periodically escalate - in recent days over the weekend, when vessels from Chinese authorities and the Philippines figured in another confrontation.

Manila alleged a Chinese ship of purposefully hitting and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials stated the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines ignored repeated warnings and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also especially concerned to portrayals of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and edited in the Philippines for displaying a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

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

The seizure of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is frequently occurring - though the amount of the maps seized in Shandong easily eclipses previous confiscations. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the border control are destroyed.

In spring, border authorities at an air transportation hub in the coastal city intercepted a batch of 143 navigation charts that included "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, border authorities in the northern province seized a pair of "problematic maps" that, among other things, included a "misdrawing" of the the Tibet region's limits.