DHAKA: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday warned China against unilateral action to resolve a territorial dispute with Japan or other Asian countries, drawing a parallel with Russia`s incursion in Ukraine.

‘All nations deserve respect, no matter how large or how small,’ Hagel said during a visit to Tokyo, reports The Straits Times.

‘I think we`re seeing some clear evidence of a lack of respect, and coercion and intimidation with ... what the Russians have done in Ukraine,’ he told a joint news conference with his Japanese counterpart, Itsunori Onodera.

Countries had to speak up and clearly reject such a blatant violation of international law, said Hagel, referring to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.

BDST: 1225 HRS, APR 06, 2014