It is said that after China learned of Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine, it had asked for a delay until the Beijing Winter Olympics were over.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 2nd local time that it had received information that a high-ranking Chinese government official made such a request to the Russian government in early February, citing US and European intelligence officials.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing on February 4, held a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and issued a joint statement calling for an end to NATO expansion.
The New York Times said it was unable to confirm whether Putin and Xi had talks about plans to invade Ukraine.
However, according to reports from intelligence officials, the credibility of the information that high-ranking officials from China and Russia exchanged views regarding the invasion of Ukraine is said to be quite high.
According to the New York Times, it seems clear that China was aware of Russia’s plans for aggression in advance.
China has also rejected a request from the US government to help prevent an invasion of Ukraine through diplomacy.