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Chinese customs officers in the coastal province of Shandong have intercepted 60,000 maps that "improperly identified" the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

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

The "problematic" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "threaten national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China, officials confirmed.

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

Detailed Compliance Issues

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

The line comprises nine lines which stretches a significant distance southeastern direction from its southern province of Hainan.

The intercepted cartographic items also failed to indicate the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, customs representatives stated.

Taiwan Situation

Authorities said the maps incorrectly labeled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the improper identification was.

China views self-governed Taiwan as its sovereign land and has maintained the option of the use of force to take the island. But Taiwan views itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Disputes

Conflicts in the disputed maritime region sometimes intensify - just recently over the weekend, when maritime craft from China and the Philippine government participated in another encounter.

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

But Beijing claimed the incident happened after the vessel from the Philippines disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnam are also highly vigilant to representations of the South China Sea in cartographic materials.

The Barbie movie from last year was banned in the Vietnamese market and modified in the Philippine release for depicting a South China Sea map with the nine-segment boundary.

The statement from China Customs did not indicate where the seized maps were planned for distribution. China produces much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The confiscation of "non-compliant cartographic materials" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the amount of the maps intercepted in the Shandong region substantially surpasses past seizures. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the customs are disposed of.

In spring, customs officers at an airport in Qingdao seized a shipment of 143 navigation charts that featured "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province seized two "non-compliant charts" that, besides other problems, included a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.