Chinese Foreign Ministry calls reports on training Russian soldiers in China 'slander'

BEIJING, July 6. /TASS/. Reports about Russian servicemen training in China are false and should be regarded as nothing but outright slander, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

"As for the so-called reports you have mentioned, which are causing concern on the German side, we have already clearly stated to the German side that they have absolutely no factual basis. It is pure slander and defamation," she emphasized at a briefing, commenting to a Western correspondent on information from the German Foreign Ministry regarding "the training of Russian soldiers on Chinese territory," which prompted a recent meeting between diplomats from the two countries in Germany.

The spokeswoman noted that German Foreign Ministry officials have indeed recently met with the Chinese ambassador, discussing "Chinese-German relations and other issues of shared interest." Mao Ning stated that Beijing "has always taken a balanced stance on the Ukraine crisis, seeking a political settlement."

The spokeswoman added that China "firmly adheres to its own approach" on the Ukrainian matter and Germany should "objectively and rationally evaluate China’s position."