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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have confiscated 60,000 maps that "incorrectly labeled" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign land.

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 regional neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnamese authorities.

The "non-compliant" maps, c intended for foreign distribution, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, authorities said.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for Chinese authorities and its regional competitors for reefs, islands and outcrops in the South China Sea.

Detailed Compliance Issues

China Customs stated that the maps also failed to include the nine-dash boundary, which demarcates Beijing's claim over the vast majority of the South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine lines which stretches hundreds of miles southeastern direction from its southern province of Hainan.

The confiscated materials also omitted the maritime boundary between mainland China and Japan, authorities said.

Cross-Strait Situation

Customs representatives explained the maps incorrectly labeled "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the mislabelling was.

China sees self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of military action to unify with the island. But Taiwanese authorities considers itself separate from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region flare up occasionally - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another encounter.

Philippine authorities accused a Chinese vessel of intentionally colliding with and firing its water cannon at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Beijing said the encounter happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese ship.

Previous Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnam are also especially concerned to depictions of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

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

The statement from China Customs did not indicate where the intercepted items were planned for distribution. China supplies much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to stationery.

The seizure of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by Chinese customs officers is not uncommon - though the quantity of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region easily eclipses past seizures. Goods that fail inspection at the border control are eliminated.

In spring, border authorities at an air transportation hub in the coastal city seized a shipment of one hundred forty-three marine maps that featured "obvious errors" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated a pair of "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, contained a "misdrawing" of the Tibet's boundaries.