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

The maps, customs representatives explained, also "omitted important islands" in the disputed South China Sea waters, where Beijing's claims clash with those of its neighbors, including the Philippine government and Vietnamese authorities.

The "violating" maps, meant for export, cannot be sold because they "compromise national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the People's Republic of China, customs representatives stated.

Cartographic materials are a sensitive topic for China and its regional competitors for coral formations, maritime features and rock formations in the South China Sea.

Detailed Violations

Customs authorities stated that the maps also did not contain the nine-segment line, which defines China's territorial assertion over almost the whole South China Sea.

The demarcation includes nine segments which runs numerous nautical miles southeastward from its most southerly province of Hainan Island.

The confiscated materials also omitted the oceanic demarcation between mainland China and the Japanese archipelago, authorities said.

Taiwan Situation

Officials stated the maps mislabelled "Taiwan province", without clarifying what exactly the mislabelling was.

The Chinese government considers self-governed Taiwan as its territory and has maintained the option of the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwan views itself as separate from the mainland China, with its own governing document and democratically-elected leaders.

Regional Disputes

Tensions in the South China Sea sometimes intensify - most recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government participated in another encounter.

Manila alleged a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming and deploying water jets at a Philippine government vessel.

But Beijing claimed the encounter happened after the Philippine vessel disregarded multiple alerts and "moved perilously near" the Chinese vessel.

Previous Precedents

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

The popular motion picture from last year was prohibited in Vietnam and censored in the Philippine release for depicting a maritime chart with the controversial demarcation.

The statement from China Customs did not say where the seized maps were intended to be sold. The country provides much of the world's goods, from Christmas lights to stationery.

The interception of "violating charts" by China's border authorities is frequently occurring - though the number of the maps confiscated in the Shandong region substantially surpasses previous confiscations. Merchandise that fail inspection at the border control are destroyed.

In spring, customs officers at an air transportation hub in the coastal city confiscated a shipment of one hundred forty-three navigation charts that included "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In late summer, customs officers in the northern province seized two "non-compliant charts" that, among other things, included a "misdrawing" of the Tibetan border.