Kiribati silent on base agreement
1 November 2002
The Pacific republic of Kiribati has refused to disclose details of its agreement with China concerning a Chinese base on Tarawa atoll, Agence France-Presse reported. The base was established in 1997 and is located 1,600km southeast of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, which are used by the US as a target for missile tests and to test its theatre missile defence system.
Beijing has denied that the base is spying on the US missile tests, saying that it monitors rockets launched from China.