China has banned the British computer game Football Manager 2005, saying it violated Chinese law by referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other regions claimed by Beijing as separate countries.

Though the game is not officially sold in China, government departments have been ordered to search for pirated copies at software markets and newsstands and seize any found, according to the culture ministry.

Vendors could face fines of up to £2,000. Internet service providers that fail to prevent subscribers from downloading the game can be fined up to £1,000 and lose their licences.

The ban underlines China's extreme sensitivity over any perceived slight to its national prestige at a time when its global economic and political clout is growing.

China claims the independent country of Taiwan, and recovered Hong Kong from Britain in 1997.

The culture ministry said the game also contained references to Tibet, which Chinese troops occupied in 1951, and Macau, a former Portuguese colony handed back to China in 1999.

Foreign companies making everything from mobile phones to packaged food have run into similar trouble for supposedly violating Chinese sensitivities.

China this week banned a Nike television commercial showing US basketball star LeBron James, the reigning NBA rookie of the year, in a mock videogame setting in which he battles and defeats a kung fu master, two women in traditional Chinese attire and a pair of dragons.

Marc Duffy, a spokesman for the game's developer, Sports Interactive, said the company was working on a Chinese version for official release in China that would meet local requirements.

"We will follow the correct submission and approval process within China and look forward to feedback from the Chinese authorities on any modifications that may be required," he said.