China has rejected reports of the presence of over 11,000 of its troops in the Gilgit area of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, saying that such groundless reports were being put out with ulterior motives to hurt Beijing's ties with New Delhi and Islamabad. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said in Beijing that the attempts of some people to fabricate stories to provoke China-India relations are doomed to fail. The comment came in response to a report in the New York Times on Aug 28 that China had deployed more than 11,000 troops in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The denial of Chinese troops presence came also from Pakistan Ambassador to China, Masood Khan on Wednesday. While refuting reports, he said that a humanitarian team from China is in the Gilgit area to assist the flood victims. The New York Times report attributed the military presence to China's plans to gain a grip on the strategic area to ensure unfettered road and rail access to the Gulf through Pakistan.