China, which will not be attending the Peace Summit in Switzerland this weekend, is lobbying its "peace plan" among global governments ahead of the Swiss meeting. This was reported by Reuters, citing ten diplomats.
One source described Beijing's plan as a "sophisticated boycott" of the upcoming meeting.
"Ukraine, the United States, and other Western governments have been persistently lobbying for China's participation in the talks as they seek legitimacy for the summit and a broad consensus on the roadmap for the future peace process. In conversations with developing countries, China has not openly criticized the Swiss summit or directly asked countries to abstain", - Beijing diplomats told Reuters.
However, an informed source indicated that Beijing told developing countries the meeting would prolong the war, while two diplomats familiar with the matter said China told Western countries that many developing nations agree with its views on the conference.
"Diplomats requested anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss this sensitive issue with the media", - Reuters reported.
According to the diplomats, as the summit approaches, China has intensified its outreach efforts with meetings with foreign officials, phone calls, and messages to foreign missions on the Chinese platform WeChat.