Full coverage: South China Sea Is Indisputable Part of China

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has called for the US and China to bridge their divide over the South China Sea issue.

In an article on Bloomberg, Cui said some of the perceptions from the US about China's policy and intentions in the area "are misplaced". He said China is maintaining and defending legitimate territorial claims and maritime rights, and that China's construction activities in the area are for civilian purposes.

And regarding the arbitration case initiated unilaterally by the Philippines, Cui criticized the US for seeking to use the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea against China, while the country itself still refuses to ratify the treaty. He said the South China Sea region should not become a competing ground for the two countries.