Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin attends a press conference in Beijing, China, November 9, 2020. REUTERS / Tingshu Wang / File photo
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BEIJING, March 3 – China’s foreign ministry said Thursday that reports of China-Russia co-ordination ahead of Russia’s attack on Ukraine were “fake news”.
Such diversion and blame-shifting practices are “disgusting,” said Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesman, at a regular media briefing.
Senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the New York Times reported, citing Biden officials and a European official who cited a Western intelligence report. Read more
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“The New York Times report is pure fake news,” spokesman Wang said.
He went on to list and cite public figures in the United States, including former diplomat George Kennan and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who have spoken out against NATO enlargement, a transatlantic defense alliance that Russia says threatens its security. interests.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesmen have repeatedly refused to call Russia’s attack on Ukraine an “invasion,” while calling on Western countries to respect Russia’s “legitimate security concerns.”
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Report by Eduardo Baptista; Writing by Ryan Woo; Edited by Raisa Kasolowski
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