China is lobbying governments for its alternative peace plan for Ukraine, 10 diplomats said, with one calling Beijing's campaign a "subtle boycott" at the world meeting in Switzerland .
Ninety countries and organizations have signed up to attend Saturday and Sunday's summit in the Alpine resort of Lucerne, which will seek to build support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace proposals, including the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Moscow, which was not invited to Lucerne, dismissed the meeting as useless. China, which has close ties to Russia, says it will not attend the conference because it does not meet Beijing's demands, including Russia's participation.
China and Russia announced an "unrestricted" partnership just days before President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Russia's smaller neighbor in February 2022. Beijing maintains it is neutral in the conflict and has not supplied Moscow with weapons or ammunition.
After China said it would not attend the Lucerne summit, Zelensky accused Beijing of helping Moscow undermine the meeting, a charge China's foreign ministry denied.
Ukraine, the United States and other Western governments have lobbied hard for China to attend the talks as they seek legitimacy for the summit and broad consensus on a road map for a future peace process.
In talks with developing countries, China has not openly criticized the Swiss summit or directly asked countries to refrain, Beijing-based diplomats told Reuters.
But one of the sources briefed on the contacts said Beijing had told the developing countries that the meeting would prolong the war, while two diplomats with direct knowledge of the matter said China had been telling the West nations that many developing countries agree with his views on the conference.
The diplomats asked not to be named because they are not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue with the media.
China's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on its lobbying efforts. Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said last week: "China sincerely hopes that a peace conference will not become a platform used to create a bloc confrontation. If you don't attend it, it doesn't mean you don't support peace."
As the summit approaches, China has stepped up contacts through meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries, phone calls and messages to foreign missions on China's WeChat platform, diplomats said.
Beijing's special envoy for Eurasian affairs Li Hui visited Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates last month and met with representatives of developing countries at their embassies in Beijing, diplomats said.
While explaining why it will not attend the summit, China is trying to get developing countries to join the peace plan it issued with Brazil last month.
The proposal calls for an international peace conference, "held at an appropriate time, which is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties, and a fair discussion of all peace plans".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that China could organize such a conference. Putin expressed support for China's plan to settle the crisis peacefully, saying Beijing fully understood what was behind it.
Forty-five countries have expressed support for the proposal, with more than two dozen joining or ``seriously considering'' it, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said last week.
It is unclear what impact China's lobbying has had, but the number of registered participants at the Lucerne summit has dropped from the 107 that Zelensky's office said had been confirmed by early June.
In Asia, US allies the Philippines and Japan, as well as Thailand, Singapore and East Timor have confirmed their presence. Malaysia said it would abstain, as did Cambodia, which has close economic ties to China. Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen denied being pressured by Beijing to avoid the conference.
Indonesia will send its ambassador to Bern. Vietnam has not clarified its position.