In a note verbale dated July 26, the Malaysian mission to the U.N. wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that it "rejects China's claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'nine-dash line.'" It said that China's claims are contrary to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or Unclos, and added, "The Government of Malaysia considers that the People's Republic of China's claim to the maritime features in the South China Sea has no basis under international law." The note verbale has brought Malayasia's stance on the issue closer to that of the US, Australia and others.

(Comment: Malaysia's wording until now had centered around its own right to establish a continental shelf in the northern part of the sea.)