Chinese officials on Monday dismissed media reports that Beijing planned to deploy a small contingent of Chinese troops in the North Korean city of Rason to protect Chinese investments and nationals.
South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper earlier reported that Beijing and Pyongyang were discussing the possibility of a Chinese military presence in Rason, a city on the border with China and Russia, which houses the Rajin-Sonbong Economic Special Zone.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei dismissed the reports as "sheer fabrication," Xinhua said.
"China will not send a single soldier to other countries without the approval of the UN," an official at the Chinese Ministry of Defense told the China's Global Times daily on condition of anonymity.
BEIJING, January 17 (RIA Novosti)
