Beijing did not condemn the Ukraine invasion (File)
Beijing:
China on Thursday denied reports that it asked Russia to delay its invasion of Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics, as international investigations grow into heated ties between the two powers.
Beijing has taken a cautious approach to the actions of its close ally and President Xi Jinping held a meeting with his Russian counterpart last month where the pair agreed to a “no boundaries” partnership.
Since then, Beijing has not condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but denied outright support.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Chinese officials, citing senior officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration, as well as a European official, had asked senior Russian officials not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics.
The report said Beijing had some degree of direct knowledge of Russia’s war plans or intentions before the offensive began last week, four days after the Olympic closing ceremony.
Beijing dismissed the report when asked at a press briefing on Thursday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, “The New York Times report is completely fake news. Such disturbing, blaming comments are completely condemnable.”
In the weeks leading up to the February 24 invasion, Chinese state media repeatedly dismissed Western warnings as American propaganda and not evacuated its citizens from Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to meet with Xi in nearly two years and the guest of honor at the Winter Games opening ceremony.
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion, demanding that Russia “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine.
China was among 35 countries that abstained, while just five – Eritrea, North Korea, Syria, Belarus and Russia – voted against it.
According to the United Nations, more than one million people have fled Ukraine because of the war.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)