Russia and China agreed yesterday that the first priority for solving the Balkans crisis was for NATO to halt its air strikes against Yugoslavia.
On his return to Moscow Russia's special envoy, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, said that he had new peace proposals but no details were available.
After a day of talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing Mr Chernomyrdin told journalists that China was demanding an end to NATO strikes before it would consider the G8 peace proposals, and that Moscow concurred.
"The first thing that needs to be done is to stop the bombings. This position is supported by the Chinese side and today by the Russians as well," Mr Chernomyrdin said before leaving Beijing, where he met President Jiang Zemin, the Prime Minister, Mr Zhu Rongji, and Vice-President Mr Qian Qichen.
Demonstrations continued in Beijing's diplomatic quarter yesterday over the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, but on a much lower scale than on previous days.
The victims of the bombing of the embassy have been cremated in the Yugoslav capital, Chinese newspapers reported yesterday. The caskets containing the ashes of two journalists, Ms Shao Yunhuan of Xinhua news agency and Mr Xu Xinghu of Guangming Daily, and Mr Xu's wife, will arrive in Beijing airport 30 this morning. The international media have been invited to attend.
The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, arrives in Beijing today for what was intended to be a three-day state visit but which has been reduced to a one-day working visit in protest against the NATO action. He will discuss the G8 proposals with Chinese leaders.
Both Russia and China have separately called for a halt to bombings before negotiations start on a UN Security Council resolution on Kosovo, and their joint approach enables the two permanent members to exert greater pressure on NATO.
China, still furious about the embassy bombing, said it would agree only to a peace settlement which Yugoslavia found acceptable. "First, NATO must stop bombing immediately and, second, any resolution plan must obtain approval from Yugoslavia," Mr Qian told Mr Chernomyrdin.
"The events of the last 50 days have brought no results whatsoever and the situation is worsening," said Mr Chernomyrdin. "The Chinese side is studying the decisions made by G8 and the decision by G8 could be the basis for future negotiations."
Mr Zhu, in his first public statement since the embassy bombing, portrayed US-led NATO as hypocrites. "It is very obvious that the idea of safeguarding human rights and democracy, as well as opposing ethnic cleansing which they are chanting loudly, is only a fig leaf," he said. "We demand that the United States and NATO make an open and official apology to the Chinese government and the Chinese people."
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, urged China yesterday not to veto any UN Security Council settlement on Kosovo after the bombing of its embassy in Belgrade. He said in London he was encouraged by signs that China now appeared to be accepting NATO's apologies - something not evident in Beijing.
Meanwhile, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, endorsed China's call for a halt to NATO air strikes.