China not confirming statement

BEIJING, May 25 (UPI) -- China has not confirmed the Pakistani defense minister's reported statement seeking Beijing set up a naval facility at Pakistan's Gwadar port.

Replying to a question saying Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar had said his country hoped China would establish a naval base at its southwest coast port, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu in her media briefing said she had not "heard about the specific cooperation project you mentioned."

The Chinese foreign ministry Web site said Jiang added: "China has long provided assistance to Pakistan within its capacity to help the latter improve people's welfare and promote economic and social development, and will continue to do so in the future."

There have been reports of Mukhtar commenting on Pakistan's request to China to operate the Gwadar port and welcoming China building a naval port there. The defense minister had traveled with Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on his China visit.

Voice of America reported China helped build Gwadar, a strategic deep water port, as a commercial project several years ago and the facility is now run by the Singapore Port Authority.