When the dispute over Mischief Reef erupted, Chinese officials failed to clarify the meaning of the nine-dashed line, but, when pressed, they agreed that the dashes demarcated areas where China had sovereign claims. At the same time, they agreed that the South China Sea was not a Chinese lake, and that it was governed by the UN treaty.
美济礁纠纷爆发时，中国官员没有澄清九段线的含义，但是，在受到压力时，中国官员指出九段线划定了中国拥有主权的区域范围。与此同时，他们还指出南海不是中国的内湖，受联合国公约约束。基于此，美国和中国在近二十年的时间里没有发生摩擦。