China denies asking Russia to delay its invasion of Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics. An intelligence report on the alleged request that The New York Times has written about has been described as “fake news”.
The report says senior Chinese officials requested in early February. Beijing is said to have had some knowledge of Russia’s plans before invading Ukraine. According to the American newspaper, “a Western intelligence agency” collected the information”.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticized the allegations. “These types of diversion that shift the blame are downright despicable,” said a spokesman. Russia invaded Ukraine last week, four days before the Games’ closing ceremony. Before that, Beijing rejected Western warnings and described them as American hype.
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on a “borderless partnership”. Beijing has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but it has not expressed its support either. As a result, the Chinese did not vote on Wednesday when the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution against the war in Ukraine.