[By Yang Yongliang/China.org.cn]

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel talked tough during and before his China visit. He sided with Japan and the Philippines in their island disputes with China, citing the U.S. treaty obligation to defend its allies in the event of war. And during his visit, the U.S. Congress wanted to sell sophisticated arms to Taiwan in glaring violation of the August 17 Joint Sino-U.S. Communiqué. That's a triple violation of the mutual understanding between the two countries -- not to harm each other's core interests.

In return, Hagel got an earful from his Chinese hosts: China will not cede an inch of its territory! China's Defense Minister Chang Wanquan put it in no uncertain terms: "On this issue (the island dispute), we will make no compromise, no concession -- not even a tiny violation is allowed. We are prepared to cope with any type of threats and challenges at any time."

Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, told Hagel in person that China is "dissatisfied" with his remarks in an ASEAN ministers meeting and in Japan. The most quoted passage of those remarks goes like this, "You cannot go around and redefine boundaries and violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations by force, coercion and intimidation -- whether it concerns small islands in the Pacific, or large nations in Europe."

He was obviously likening China's stand on island disputes to Russia's "annexation" of Crimea. That comparison is absurd. Remember Shinzo Abe's comparison of China to Nazi Germany? Noam Chomsky called that comparison "hysterical!"

Hagel made the remarks to calm Japan's and the Philippines' doubts about Washington's resolve to back them in their disputes with China. When Obama precluded military action in the aftermath of the Crimea affair, some of America's allies got the jitters.

It is Japan and the Philippines who are going around redefining boundaries, trying to grab islands that clearly belong to China, historically and by international law.