"With the intervention of the United States and the so called Indo-Pacific strategy, we have escalation in South China Sea," said Cui Tiankai, former Chinese ambassador to the United States, in an interview with CGTN host Xu Qingduo on the sidelines of the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue. China has been committed to resolving disputes with claimant countries through peaceful and diplomatic solutions, he said. However, the United States and other external countries are playing a destructive role and hyping up the situation.