Ambassador rebuffs US position as new tensions simmer

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai rebuffed US criticism on Wednesday that China's land reclamations were responsible for tensions in the South China Sea.

Daniel Russel, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and David Shear, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, both blamed China for the tensions in the East and South China Seas during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday afternoon, noting in particular the recent land reclamation.

"Who is really raising tensions in the South China Sea? Is the high-profile US involvement stabilizing or messing up the situation? The facts are all out there," Cui told reporters on Wednesday evening on the sidelines of a reception at the Chinese embassy in Washington.