Malaysia has underscored its longstanding legal position on the South China Sea in a note verbale to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).

This note verbale makes specific reference to PRC's note verbale CML/14/2019 dated 12 Dec 2019. It doesn't refer to the PRC's subsequent responses to communications by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and the US. (PRC hasn't responded to Australia's note verbale of 23 July.)

Making specific reference to paras 2 and 3 of CML/14/2019 (see pic), the Malaysian note verbale rejects PRC'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 nine-dash line.

And it goes further: Malaysia says that China's claims to maritime features in the South China Sea has "no basis under international law." In other words, none of the rocks in the South China Sea belongs to China. Malaysia therefore rejects CML/14/2019 in its entirety.