China, in damage control mode, says the Ukraine invasion knocked them over like a feather

[BeyondGeography]

We didn’t know Putin was about to invade, insists China

China has rejected accusations that it was aware of President Putin’s plans to invade Ukraine and claims it would have tried to prevent the onslaught had it been warned beforehand.

Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to Washington, issued a fresh rebuttal against allegations that Putin told President Xi in advance that he would invade, only to delay the attack until after Beijing’s Winter Olympics had concluded.

The pair met on February 4, the opening day of the Games, and simultaneously promised to deepen ties in a partnership with “no limits”. The Games concluded on February 20, with Putin ordering the offensive four days later.

Western intelligence had previously claimed that senior Chinese officials asked their Russian counterparts not to invade until after the Winter Olympics ended. President Xi, it is claimed, had sought assurance that nothing would distract from the Games.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/d91a0042-a527-11ec-8cae-f1e364cbbd1a?

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