BEIJING (Reuters) - China dismissed on Thursday a U.S. newspaper report that it was constructing a missile-related base near Taiwan, saying the report had "ulterior motives." Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said he had no information on the Washington Times report that U.S. spy satellites photographed the construction at the People's Liberation Army missile base in mid-October.

But Sun said any nation with a strong military deployed weapons every day.

The report had "ulterior motives," he told reporters.

A U.S. official later confirmed that there appeared to be missile-related construction at the site 480 km (300 miles) from Nationalist-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a breakaway province.

The United States closely monitors China's military buildup because of the potential threat to Taiwan and the region. China has threatened to invade if Taiwan declares independence.

Sun repeated that China was opposed to U.S. plans to build an anti-missile defense system or any attempt to include Taiwan under the umbrella.

Asked if China would build an anti-missile system, Sun said China would not join an arms race, but had the right to possess a small number of nuclear weapons and missiles for defensive purposes.

Sun said U.S. efforts to develop anti-missile missiles, known as the National Missile Defense (NMD) system, would have an adverse impact on the global and regional strategic balance and stability in the 21st century.

The United States wants to amend the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty to permit it to build a limited defense against any missile attack on U.S. troops stationed abroad by "rogue states," such as North Korea and Iran.

The treaty limits defense systems designed to shoot down enemy missiles on the theory that such shields would only tempt the other side to build more missiles to overwhelm the defenses.

Russia, which has rejected U.S. offers to amend the ABM treaty, flexed its military muscles this month. It test fired one of its short-range anti-missile rockets and, for the first time in six years, and an old nuclear-capable tactical missile.