Note is the most commonly used form in diplomatic documents. Notes are divided into formal notes and notes verbales.

Formal note is the most formal form in diplomatic communication, which is generally used to handle important affairs or perform important diplomatic etiquette. Official notes are written in the first person and are used for communication between foreign ministers, between foreign ministers and ambassadors, and between ambassadors. Official notes can also be used between heads of state or government, but they are not commonly used. The original official notice must be signed by the sender himself. Nowadays, formal notes are rarely used in diplomatic letters, but it is necessary to use them as much as possible.

The biggest difference between notes verbales and official notes is that notes verbales are documents written in the third person. It is a way of communication between institutions, usually between the foreign ministries of the two countries, between embassies and official institutions such as the foreign ministries of the host country, and between embassies. The note verbale does not need to be signed, and the original is stamped with the official seal by the issuing authority. The note verbale covers a wide range of issues, from border disputes to visa applications. With the simplification of diplomatic etiquette, notes verbales can be used instead of formal notes. Although a note verbale is not as formal as a formal note, its content is not necessarily as important as a formal note.

In addition, because the note verbale uses the third person, unlike the formal note, it is always worried about directly stimulating the other party. Therefore, notes verbales are generally used for all protest notes. However, there are exceptions. 1999, on behalf of the China government, Tang Jiaxuan, then Foreign Minister of China, officially sent a note to the US ambassador to China, making solemn representations to the US side on the bombing of our embassy in Yugoslavia by the US military, expressing our strong indignation.

(Excerpted from Global Times, April 2005 1 1)