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

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

The "problematic" maps, destined for overseas markets, 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 rivals for coral formations, islands and outcrops in the disputed maritime region.

Specific Violations

Customs authorities said that the maps also omitted the nine-dash boundary, which outlines China's territorial assertion over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The boundary consists of nine dashes which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from its southern province of Hainan.

The intercepted cartographic items also did not mark the sea border between China and the Japanese archipelago, officials confirmed.

Cross-Strait Status

Officials stated the maps improperly identified "Taiwan province", without specifying what exactly the incorrect labeling was.

The Chinese government considers self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has kept open the possibility of the use of force to unify with the island. But Taiwan views itself as distinct from the mainland China, with its own constitution and elected leadership.

Regional Disputes

Disputes in the South China Sea flare up occasionally - just recently over the weekend, when ships from Chinese authorities and the Philippine government figured in another confrontation.

Manila claimed a China's maritime craft of deliberately ramming and using water cannons at a government-owned Philippine craft.

But Chinese officials stated the confrontation happened after the Philippine ship disregarded multiple alerts and "came too close to" the Chinese ship.

Historical Similar Cases

The Philippines and Vietnamese authorities are also particularly sensitive to depictions of the disputed maritime region in cartographic materials.

The 2023 Barbie film from last year was banned in Vietnam and modified in the Philippines for showing a South China Sea map with the controversial demarcation.

The declaration from customs authorities did not specify where the intercepted items were destined for sale. China supplies much of the global merchandise, from holiday decorations to office supplies.

The interception of "problematic maps" by China's border authorities is relatively common - though the amount of the maps seized in Shandong easily eclipses previous confiscations. Merchandise that are non-compliant at the border control are disposed of.

In March, border authorities at an airport in the coastal city intercepted a batch of 143 navigation charts that contained "apparent inaccuracies" in the territorial boundaries.

In August, border authorities in the northern province intercepted a pair of "violating cartographic materials" that, besides other problems, featured a "improper representation" of the Tibet's boundaries.