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

The maps, officials stated, also "left out 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 "problematic" 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.

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

Specific Compliance Issues

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

The boundary consists of nine lines which runs hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

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

Taiwan Situation

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "the Taiwan region", without detailing what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government views self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of military action to take the island. But Taiwanese authorities sees itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and popularly chosen officials.

Geopolitical Tensions

Conflicts in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - in recent days over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippines participated in another incident.

Philippine authorities accused a Chinese vessel of deliberately ramming and deploying water jets at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials said the confrontation happened after the Philippine vessel failed to heed continual notices and "came too close to" the China's maritime craft.

Historical Precedents

The Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities are also highly vigilant to portrayals of the disputed maritime region in maps.

The popular motion picture from last year was banned in Vietnam and modified in the Philippines for displaying a South China Sea map with the nine dash line.

The declaration from customs authorities did not say where the confiscated materials were planned for distribution. China supplies much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The interception of "problematic maps" by customs officials is frequently occurring - though the number of the maps intercepted in Shandong easily eclipses earlier interceptions. Goods that are non-compliant at the customs are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an air transportation hub in Qingdao seized a batch of 143 nautical charts that featured "clear mistakes" in the national borders.

In August, customs officers in Hebei province confiscated two "problematic maps" that, among other things, included a "incorrect depiction" of the Tibetan border.