Russia, China "irritated" by US presence in Central Asia - Uzbek radio.

China and Russia consider deployment of US warplanes and troops in Central Asia a threat to their political and economic interests in the region, a commentary on Uzbek radio said on 23 February. The commentator quoted an unidentified Chinese diplomat in Kazakhstan as saying that the USA had asked to use a base in eastern Kazakhstan for operations against China, and that the USA had installed intelligence equipment in Kyrgyzstan, also for use against China. The Russian defence minister was also quoted as saying that the USA did not need to deploy troops in Kazakhstan because the military operations in Afghanistan are nearly over. The following is an excerpt from the commentary:

[Presenter] The geopolitical situation …