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Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that they are investigating the leak of a classified diplomatic note from China.

What’s the deal: The leak involved a secret diplomatic note sent by China to Malaysia’s embassy in Beijing in February, reportedly instructing Malaysia to halt oil exploration activities at Luconia Shoals in the South China Sea. In the letter, China told Malaysia they were infringing on their territory. The letter was leaked to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which published an article on August 29 detailing China’s demands.

More on the disputed region: Luconia Shoals, located roughly 60 miles from Malaysia’s Sarawak state, is part of the contested South China Sea. Though it’s geographically closer to Malaysia, the shoals are about 800 miles from China’s closest landmass, Hainan Island. This region is rich in natural resources, making it a hotspot for territorial disputes between nations over maritime sovereignty.  

What Malaysia is doing: Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry briefly commented on the investigation, saying, “The ministry views the leak of this document, which constitutes an official communication channel between the two countries, with grave concern.”