UNITED NATIONS — Even as Secretary-General Ban is joining several world leaders in declaring that they plan to skip the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing, diplomats at the United Nations say it is too early to tell what effect the perception of growing international pressure on China will have on its government’s approach to world affairs. Like President Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Merkel of Germany, and Prime Minister Brown of Britain, Mr. Ban yesterday made no link between his planned absence from Beijing and China’s policies on Tibet, Darfur, Taiwan, Burma, and other issues raised by protesters in Western cities hosting the Olympic torch relay in recent days. But the growing list of absentees from the opening ceremonies is likely to be seen as an obstacle to China’s goal of using the Olympics as a showcase for its leading role in world affairs.

Publicly, U.N.-based Western diplomats say they will not use the outcry over Beijing’s human rights record as a diplomatic tool. But in private conversations, several diplomats said officials in Washington and Europe are advising Beijing that if China eases its objections to putting U.N. Security Council pressure on the Sudanese government or the Burmese junta, its image may improve.

One Western diplomat who requested anonymity said that as America and its European allies are attempting to pass a new Security Council statement calling for Burma to be “inclusive” in its political process, high-level officials are raising the recent Western outcry over China’s human rights record in conversations with their Chinese colleagues. On the council, China has urged a soft line against the Burmese junta.

Another diplomat cautioned, however, that such pressure may have little effect on Beijing. “I don’t think they react to press headlines the way we do,” the diplomat said.

President Bush has said he will attend the opening ceremonies, and this week the three remaining presidential candidates weighed in as well. Senator Clinton called on the president to boycott the opening gala, Senator Obama advised making a decision closer to the event, and Senator McCain said yesterday that while it was up to Mr. Bush to decide, he would not attend if he were president.

The focus of the biggest outcry over China’s human rights record has been its recent crackdown on supporters of greater autonomy for Tibet. The Dalai Lama, whom Beijing has accused of instigating the demonstrations, arrived in Seattle yesterday for his first American visit since the beginning of the turmoil, and a day after protesters in San Francisco forced local police to divert the route of the Olympic torch relay. Similar demonstrations have disrupted the torch relay in Paris and London. Mr. Ban conveyed to the Chinese authorities “some months ago” that he might not be able to accept their invitation to attend the opening ceremonies because of “scheduling issues,” a U.N. spokeswoman, Marie Okabe, told reporters. She declined to elaborate on the scheduling conflict.

Mr. Brown announced Wednesday that he did not plan to attend the opening ceremonies, but his aides later explained that he had never planned to attend the event. Instead, the premier will attend the closing ceremonies, when the torch will be passed to Britain, host of the 2012 games.

Like the Bush administration, Mr. Sarkozy’s aides have publicly advised China to launch a dialogue with the Dalai Lama over Tibet. The French president has said he may skip the opening ceremonies, but at least publicly, French diplomats are saying there should be no link between the games and Tibet. “We do not think that Olympic Games should be targeted the way it is,” the French ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Maurice Ripert, said. Asked if he sees any link to issues discussed at the Security Council, he said, “There should be no link with any other kind of discussion. It is already complicated enough.”