Military infrastructure deployment by non-regional countries in Afghanistan, neighbors unacceptable: Russian FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the deployment of military infrastructure in Afghanistan and its neighboring states by any non-regional countries is unacceptable under any pretext.

Lavrov made the remarks during the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.

According to Lavrov, the military presence of non-regional forces in Afghanistan will only lead to a turbulent situation and new conflicts.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also expressed their firm stance that the Afghan government will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on its territory, including the Bagram Airbase.

Located about 50 kilometers north of Kabul, Bagram Airbase served as the main base for U.S. and NATO forces in the country after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. is seeking to retake the base, warning that if the Afghan side refuses to hand it over, they will face serious consequences.

Military infrastructure deployment by non-regional countries in Afghanistan, neighbors unacceptable: Russian FM

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.

China's aggregate social financing maintains high growth in 2025