China's defense ministry said Thursday that the country has no military bases overseas, despite speculation that its armed forces seek to eventually establish facilities abroad.

"Currently, China has constructed no military base overseas," ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told reporters at a monthly briefing.

Geng was responding to a question about China's policy toward overseas bases and under what condition the country might station ships or troops abroad.

China has been accused of seeking to develop a series of facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of its Asian rival India and secure its own economic interests.