China does not intend to build a military base in Afghanistan, a top diplomat maintained in the face of conflicting reports.
“We have checked on this report and it is not true,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during Wednesday’s briefing, according to the official transcript.
Hua’s denial contradicts an initial report that China would build a base and eventually deploy several hundred troops to the Wakhan Corridor, a spur of territory that abuts against Chinese and Pakistani territory. The confusion follows months of reports of China’s interest in military expansion in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Russian and Chinese concerns about terrorism in the region.
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