Chinese ambassador to South Africa denied reports of fighter jet sales to Zimbabwe in a press briefing held Monday in Pretoria.

While answering a question posed by local media, Ambassador Liu Guijin said it is totally groundless for the report that Zimbabwe has made order to buy 240 million US dollars worth of Chinese made fighter jets.

Liu Guijin said that he had immediately contacted with Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe on the issue shortly after he had read the report. "We find that the report is not true and it is baseless," he said.

The Chinese ambassador said that the Chinese government already consulted the matter with the Zimbabwean government.

South African Deputy Foreign Minister Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad also said that he was not aware of the claim made by the report.

Local reports quoted military sources in Harare as saying that Zimbabwe will acquire 12 Chinese made FC-1s as replacements for the Chengdu F-7s, currently based in Gweru.

The FC-1 would provide a credible answer to the challenge posed by the 28 JAS-39 Gripen multi-role fighters that the South African government has ordered from Saab, the Swedish arms manufacturer.

Source: Xinhua