Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, has slammed the "false" and "very despicable" claim that Beijing asked Russia to postpone its invasion of Ukraine until after the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Wang told reporters at a daily briefing on Thursday that the claim in a US tabloid was "pure fake news," and that "such behaviours of diverting attention and transferring responsibility are really nasty."

He reaffirmed the country's claim that the US provoked Russia by not excluding Ukraine from NATO membership. The New York Times reported that senior Chinese authorities ordered senior Russian officials not to invade Ukraine until the international sporting event in Beijing was finished, citing a Western intelligence report.

The investigation "indicates that senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge of Russia's war preparations or intentions before the invasion began," according to the report.

China was one of 35 countries to vote no in a UN General Assembly vote on Wednesday, in which 141 countries condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while only five members, including Moscow, voted no.

"Unfortunately, the draught resolution brought to the General Assembly emergency extraordinary session for vote has not completed full consultations with the entire membership, nor does it take into account the history and complexity of the current crisis," Wang told reporters.

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