China's Xi to snub COP26, UK PM Johnson told

Chinese President Xi Jinping will snub a crucial climate conference in Scotland, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been told, The Times reported.

Britain, which hosts the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP26, in Glasgow on October 31-November 12, is seeking to get big power support for a more radical plan to tackle climate change.

"It is now pretty clear that Xi is not going to turn up and the PM has been told that," The Times quoted an unidentified British source as saying.

"What we don’t know is what stance the Chinese are going to take."

The Times said British organisers fear that Xi's decision to stay away could be a prelude to China refusing to set new climate change goals amid an energy crunch.