U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is spending much of this week attempting to build bridges with China’s military establishment in Beijing, but Chinese netizens greeted Hagel with widespread criticism on issues ranging from U.S. support for Japan to cybersecurity conflicts between the countries.

    “The American Secretary of Defense’s trip to Asia is about pumping up the U.S.’ allies in Asia,” one commenter wrote on China’s most popular micro-blogging site, Sina Weibo. “What happened in Crimea made them worry that the U.S. will sell them out at a critical moment.

    Tensions in East Asia have heated up in recent years, with China locked in bitter territorial disputes with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. While the United States’ official stance is to not get involved in such disputes, its alliances with Japan and the Philippines remain a major sore point in Beijing.

    In Beijing on Tuesday, Hagel reiterated U.S. objections to China’s unilateral establishment of the Air-Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

    “Every nation has a right to establish an air defense zone, but not a right to do it unilaterally with no collaboration, no consultation,” Hagel said. “That adds to tensions, misunderstandings and could eventually add to, and eventually get to, dangerous conflict.”

    Hagel’s comments were bashed by many Chinese micro-bloggers, who pointed to ADIZs that were established by the United States and Japan during the Cold War.

    “May I ask, when you set up these ADIZs did you consult with China?” one commenter asked on Sina Weibo. “Hypocritical Yankees.”

    Many of China’s netizens also lambasted U.S. government activities on the issue of cybersecurity.

    “Americans have already lost their confidence. From listening in on allies to conducting surveillance on enemies, it has all exposed the hypocritical face of Americans,” a Sina Weibo commenter wrote. “From this you can see that Americans are not so big and powerful anymore. At the very least, they’re timid and afraid of being found out.”

    In recent months, U.S. officials have attempted to clear the air through more honest disclosures to Chinese officials about U.S. cybersecurity policies. On Tuesday Hagel called on China to match those efforts, but many Chinese netizens dismissed the suggestion.

    “Would you talk morality with a prostitute?” one Sina Weibo user remarked. (SD-Agencies)