BEIJING, April 4 -- China on Friday questioned the intention of Daniel Russel, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia, as Russel warned China not to attempt Crimea-style action in Asia.

Russel reportedly said on Thursday Russia's annexation of Crimea had heightened concerns among U.S. allies in the region about the possibility of China using force to pursue its claims and the U.S. was committed to defending its Asian allies.

China has repeatedly made its stance clear on the situation of Ukraine or the South China Sea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing.

"As to why the U.S. official is deliberately linking the two issues and making it a story about China, you can go and ask him," Hong said when responding to a journalist's question.