The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan rejected reports that a Chinese military base was built on the territory of the country

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan has denied reports of the presence of a secret Chinese military base on the territory of the country.

"As for the reports in some mass media that China has allegedly established a military base on the territory of Tajikistan, we inform you that they are baseless. This issue was not and is not on the agenda of the Tajik-Chinese negotiations ," the report said .

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian also denied this information:

"I am not aware of the situation you mentioned, but I can say with confidence that China has always pursued an independent, peaceful foreign policy and does not have any military bases in Central Asia ."

The Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan has already informed that it does not have information about the location of the Chinese military base in the southeast of the republic.

Earlier, the British newspaper Telegraph published the material that China has a secret military base in Tajikistan, near the village of Shaymak in the Murgob region of the mountainous Badakhshan autonomous region.

Based on satellite images, the publication reported that it was located at a height of about 4 meters on the site of a former Soviet outpost. According to the newspaper, the facility has been under construction for 10 years and houses the military of both countries.

The media also mentioned the agreement to build a dedicated "anti-terrorist" facility by China. The agreement worth $9 million (100 million somoni) was officially signed between Beijing and Dushanbe in 2021, and the control over the base should be carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan.