INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
China on Thursday denied a report it asked Russia to delay its invasion of Ukraine until after the Beijing Winter Olympics, as international
scrutiny grows of warming ties between the two powers.Beijing has taken a cautious line over the actions of its close ally and President Xi
Jinping held a meeting last month with his Russian counterpart where the pair agreed to a "no limits" partnership.Since then, Beijing has
officials had told senior Russian officials not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics, citing senior officials in the
President Joe Biden as well as a European official.The report said Beijing had some level of direct knowledge about Russia's war plans or
intentions before the invasion started last week four days after the Olympics closing ceremony.When asked at a press briefing on Thursday,
Beijing dismissed the report."The New York Times report is complete fake news
leading up to the February 24 invasion, Chinese state media repeatedly dismissed Western warnings as US hype and did not evacuate its
according to the United Nations.
