On October 27, 2015, Ambassador Cui Tiankai had an interview with Ms. Christiane Amanpour, host of CNN'S AMANPOUR on an U.S. warship's entry into waters near relevant islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands.
10月27日，中國駐美國大使崔天凱接受美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）阿曼普欄目采訪，就美國軍艦進入中國南沙群島有關島礁鄰近海域闡明了中方嚴正立場。

The following is the full transcript of the interview:
采訪實錄如下：

AMANPOUR: Can I ask you, the United States, the State Department has said that whatever is happening right now in the South China Sea should not jeopardize the healthy relationship between Beijing and the United States. Do you agree that this will not jeopardize the relationship?
阿曼普：美國國務院稱，無論南海發生什么，都不應該損害中美關系健康發展。你是否同意這不會對中美關系造成影響？

CUI: Well, first of all, I think that what the U.S. is doing is a very serious provocation, politically and militarily. It is a clear attempt to escalate the situation and to militarize the region. So we are very concerned about that. I think that other people, all of the people who want to maintain stability there have good reason to be concerned. And I do hope that we will work together to maintain this relationship, to keep this relationship healthy and moving forward.
崔天凱：美方派軍艦進入中國南沙群島相關島礁鄰近海域的行為顯然是嚴重的政治和軍事挑釁，是試圖使地區局勢軍事化和緊張升級的行為。中方對此表示嚴重關切。我相信，所有希望本地區穩定的人們都有理由對此感到關切。同時，我們希望中美雙方共同努力，使中美關系健康向前發展。

AMANPOUR: Ambassador, there's obviously been a -- I hate to say it but a war of words between both capitals in the last 24 hours. The U.S. Defense Secretary says that they will continue to fly and sail and do whatever they want in that region, because it is international waters and they are supported by all their allies; whereas, from Beijing, the foreign ministry has said, and I quote, that "if the U.S. continues to create tensions," then Beijing might conclude it has to increase and strengthen the building up of our relevant abilities. What does that mean?
阿曼普：在過去24小時，美中兩國首都之間上演了“口水戰”。美國防部長稱，美方艦機將繼續駛入或飛越有關海域，因為有關海域是“國際水域”，并且美方行動得到了地區盟友的支持。但中國外交部表示，如果美方“一再制造緊張”，中方將不得不得出這樣一個結論，那就是中方確實有必要加強、加快相關能力建設。那意味著什么？

CUI: Well, it is a very absurd and even hypocritical position to ask others not to militarize the region while oneself is sending military vessels there so frequently. So I think the people do have to think about it in a very serious way and we have to think about it. We have to make sure that we have sufficient means to safeguard our sovereignty there, to protect our lawful rights there and we have sufficient means to maintain peace and stability there. And nobody would have any more illusion that they could continue to provoke.
崔天凱：美方的立場是荒謬而且虛偽的。一方面要求別人不要使地區局勢軍事化，另一方面自己卻如此頻繁地派軍艦前往這一地區。人們不禁會思考，中方也要認真考慮，確保我們有足夠的手段來維護自身在南海的主權、合法權益以及地區和平穩定。無論誰都不應對繼續挑釁抱有任何幻想。

AMANPOUR: But what precisely do you think that means, sir, if the United States says that it is going to continue to do what it has, it claims the right under international law to do?
阿曼普：如果美方繼續在其認為的國際法所允許的“國際水域”活動，中方會作何反應？

CUI: I think that this is done in total disregard of international law. If we look at the convention of the law of the sea -- and, by the way, the United States is not yet a party to that Convention. But if we are looking at the provisions of the Convention, there are very, very clear provisions about safety of navigation, freedom of navigation or innocent transit. What the U.S. is doing is totally against the provisions, the letter and spirit of the Convention.
崔天凱：美方的行為恰恰是罔顧國際法。美國至今未加入《聯合國海洋法公約》。《公約》有關條款對正常的航行和飛越自由、安全和無害通過都有非常明確的規定，美方所做所為明顯與之相違背。

AMANPOUR: Ambassador, the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea that you mention basically says that 12 nautical mile limits cannot be set around man-made islands which are built on previously submerged reefs, which is, in fact, what China has done, built up reefs and called them islands and claimed them as territory. You know, is there not a way that there can be some political resolution of this with the United States and with allies around that region?
阿曼普：大使先生，你所說的《聯合國海洋法公約》規定，在高潮時被淹沒的島礁上建造的人工島嶼不能主張12海里領海，而中國正是這樣做的，將這些淹沒在水下的礁石改造成島并主張領海。那么中方同美國在該地區的盟友能夠通過政治手段解決有關爭議嗎？

CUI: We have longstanding sovereignty over the islands in the region and the waters surrounding them. It is not something based on any so-called man-made facilities there or feature there.
崔天凱：中國對南沙群島及其附近海域擁有無可爭辯的主權。中國在南海的主權和相關權利是在長期的歷史過程中形成的，而非島礁建設后才有的。

AMANPOUR: Except for that they are submerged reefs and certainly Admiral Blair, Dennis Blair told us that you can't really form policy today based on very old and outdated maps of many, many years ago. And he also said that China seems to be isolating itself, given that all the regional countries are also supporting the United States, because they, too, have territorial and maritime disputes with you and they want to see these waters kept open.
阿曼普：但那些礁石的確是高潮時就會被淹沒。前美軍太平洋總部司令丹尼斯?布萊爾稱，中方不能依據早已過時的、很多年以前的地圖制定政策。同時，本地區同中國有海洋權益爭議的國家都支持美方的行動，并希望有關水域保持開放。中方正在使自身孤立。你對此有何評論？

CUI: Well,you can not say that because people have a longstanding position on something, positions that originated many, many years ago can no longer be valid today. You cannot say things like that. Of course, if we go back many, many years ago, there was no United States.
崔天凱：不能說某種權利是很多年以前形成的，現在就無效了。很多年前，美國這個國家也還不存在。

AMANPOUR: Ambassador Cui, but there is a United States now and it is a superpower and the president of China just visited Washington and there seemed to be a fairly warm environment. The fact that this is happening so quickly after that visit, what does it say about the relationship? And what do you think is going to happen next? What, in your mind, in Beijing's mind, is the solution to what's happening?
阿曼普：大使先生，現在美國存在了，而且還是超級大國。中國國家主席剛剛訪問過華盛頓，訪問氣氛似乎也很熱烈。但訪問剛過就發生了這件事。訪問期間兩國元首就雙邊關系說了什么？你認為接下來會發生什么？你個人以及北京認為應該如何解決當前的事態？

CUI: I think that you have just asked a very good question and I hope the White House will give you the answer. We are also puzzled. We are very concerned about this latest development. But whatever is happening now, will not change our position on the sovereignty in the region, will not weaken our determination to safeguard our sovereignty, will not weaken our commitment to seek a peaceful solution to the disputes with the countries concerned, and certainly will not weaken our position and commitment to developing a healthy and strong relationship with the United States but we see it as two-way traffic. We have to have a reciprocal action from the United States.
崔天凱：這是個好問題，我希望白宮能給你答案。我們有疑問，也很關注事態發展。但無論發生什么，都不會動搖我們在南海的主權權益，不會動搖我們維護自身主權的堅定意志，不會動搖我們同有關直接當事方和平解決爭議的努力，也不會動搖我們與美國發展健康有力雙邊關系的決心。但是這樣一種關系需要雙方努力，希望美方與中方相向而行。

AMANPOUR: Well, President Xi last month told President Obama that China is not militarizing the islands but the United States says that its surveillance shows that there is artillery there.So how can you prove that this is just peaceful?
阿曼普：習近平主席上月在訪美期間告訴奧巴馬總統，中國無意對這些島礁軍事化。但美方稱偵察顯示有關島礁上部署了火炮，你怎么證明這是和平的呢？

CUI: Well, I think that the fact is so clear. Who is sending military vessels there? Who is sending the military planes there? It's not us. It's the United States.
崔天凱：事實很清楚。誰在向那里派軍艦？誰在向那里派軍機？并不是我們，而是美國。

（文字來源:中國駐美大使館官網，編輯：Helen）