US warns China over sovereignty claims

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on April 6 warned China not to act unilaterally to resolve territorial disputes with Japan and other Asian neighbors.

Mr. Hagel made the statement at a joint press conference with his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera during a visit to Tokyo.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) receives Defense Minister Chuck Hagel (left) (Photo: Kyodo/ VNA)

In an apparent reference to China and its territorial disputes with its neighbors, Mr. Hagel said that small countries have the same sovereign rights as larger ones.

"All countries deserve respect, whether they are big or small. You cannot go around and redefine borders, violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries by force, coercion and intimidation, whether it is small islands in the Pacific or big countries in Europe. So I want to tell my Chinese friends about this," he said.

Mr. Hagel made the above statement before his visit to Beijing on April 7./.

According to VNA