Malaysia’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday ( Sep 4 ) that it would file a police report and launch an internal investigation into the leak of a classified diplomatic note sent by China’s foreign ministry to the Chinese embassy in Beijing in February.
The word was published in an article by a Spanish internet store on August 29, according to the government, without providing further details about the details.
The Inquirer, a newspaper in the Philippines, reported on that day that China had sent a two-page report to the Indonesian embassy in Beijing in February, claiming that Kuala Lumpur’s oil and gas exploration violated China’s independence.
The document’s sincerity cannot be verified by Reuters.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory based on historic maps, including parts of the exclusive economic zones ( EEZs ) of the Philippines, Brunei,  , Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam,  , complicating energy exploration efforts , by several of those countries.
” The ministry views the leak of this document, which constitutes an official communication channel between the two countries, with grave concern” , , Malaysia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
A request for comment outside of office hours was not immediately responded to by China’s official in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia, under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, has usually struck a dovish series on Beijing including over the South China Sea, despite an , intensifying row between China and US alliance the Philippines , that has triggered concerns about a dangerous increase.
Anwar last month said Beijing had , expressed concerns about power activities , by , Malaysian state agency Petronas and he was prepared to , deal with China , on sea problems.
Petronas, or Petroliam Nasional Berhad, operates oil and gas fields in the South China Sea within , Malaysia’s EEZ and has in recent years had some contacts with Chinese vessels.
In March Anwar said that trying to contain China’s increase would only , aggravate the land  , and sow discord in the region.
In its speech on Wednesday,  , Malaysia , said it would continue to defend its independence and sovereign right in the South China Sea, handle issues calmly and join all countries concerned, including China, with which it said it shares close and active diplomatic ties.
Regarding the South China Sea, both nations have pledged and will work together to resolve any disputes happily through dialogue and consultations using the available platforms and political channels, without resorting to hostilities or murder,” the ministry said.
China’s say to roughly 90 % of the South China Sea had no legal basis under international laws, according to an international arbitration court in The Hague in 2016, which Beijing does not accept.