BEIJING:- China’s Defence Ministry on Thursday denied that it was planning to build a military base in Afghanistan, branding such reports “groundless”. Russian news agency Ferghana News has reported that China will build the base in northern Afghanistan. Speaking at a regular news briefing, ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said the two countries had normal security cooperation and that China like other countries was supporting Afghanistan in defence and counter-terrorism. “The so-called issue that China is building a military base in Afghanistan is groundless,” Wu said. The ministry has also previously dismissed reports that Chinese military vehicles were patrolling inside Afghanistan.–Reuters