Q&A: China’s Ambassador to the U.S. on the South China Sea, Trade and Security

Cui Tiankai spoke with The Wall Street Journal ahead of this weekend’s meeting of defense chiefs from the U.S. and Asia

May 29, 2015

In an interview Thursday in advance of a weekend meeting of defense chiefs from the U.S. and Asia, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai spoke with Adam Horvath, world editor of The Wall Street Journal, about topics including developments in the South China Sea, trade and security. Below, an edited transcript of their conversation.
The Wall Street Journal: As we speak, this week rhetoric has kind of been heating up between the U.S. and China over a development in the South China Sea—what most countries call the Spratly Islands and China calls the Nansha Islands, and both what China has been doing there and the U.S. response to it. Can you tell me where you think this kind of battle of words is going, over what is the right thing for each country to be doing in that region?