BEIJING, Nov 6 (AFP) - China’s president has pressed world leaders to stop making threats and prevent the use of nuclear weapons in Europe and Asia as rhetoric over Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to heat up.

President Xi Jinping made the plea after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday, the official Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

“The international community should … jointly oppose the use or threats to use nuclear weapons, advocate that nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought, in order to prevent a nuclear crisis in Eurasia,” Xi said.

A statement on Xi’s comments did not mention any specific nations related to nuclear threats, however, rhetoric by world leaders discussing atomic arms has heightened in recent weeks. Fears have intensified that Russia’s eight-month conflict in Ukraine could turn nuclear.

Moscow would face “severe consequences” if it uses any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in its war with Ukraine, the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations warned on Friday.