China has firmly denied the Western intelligence report claiming that it asked Russia to delay the invasion of Ukraine until the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics, CNN reported. 

China’s Foreign Ministry not only rubbished the claims as “totally false” but also called it an attempt to draw away attention and place blame elsewhere. Notably, New York Times first reported on the existence of the report. 

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Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to it saying, “We hope that those responsible for the crisis should reflect on their role in the Ukraine crisis, shoulder their due responsibilities and take concrete actions to ease the situation and solve the issue, instead of blaming others”. China also remained firm in noting that the current conflict is due to the eastward expansion of NATO, as advocated by the US. 

The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Washington Liu Pengyu also spoke against this report, telling Reuters, “the claims mentioned in the relevant reports are speculations without any basis, and are intended to blame-shift and smear China”. 

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Thus far, China has remained largely neutral in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, with Reuters noting that the country depended heavily on Russia for its oil and gas needs. Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin also met during the Beijing Olympics, putting up a united front against western allies. Throughout the situation, China has been insistent that Moscow’s security concerns are legitimate and have so far not labelled the Russian army’s actions against Ukraine as an “invasion”. 

While China initially didn’t ask its nationals to leave Ukraine either, despite repeated warnings from western countries about an imminent Russian incursion, it has now started to evacuate citizens. Recently, China also expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in Ukraine, and when asked for help to mediate a ceasefire with Moscow, the nation said that it was focused on finding a peaceful solution.