US confirms diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
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In a move that will further widen the rift in an already strained bilateral relationship between the two countries, the United States has confirmed it will stage a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over concerns about China’s record on human rights.
“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympic games given the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki during a press briefing on Monday.
Despite the administration not sending any representatives to Beijing, American athletes are still expected to compete in the Olympics.
“The athletes on Team USA have our full support,” Psaki said. “We will be behind them 100% as we cheer them on from home. We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the games.”
The decision to boycott is a response to what is described as China’s ‘genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang’ and other abuses. Photo credit: Getty Images via BBC.
Hours before the announcement, China stated that a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics would be “a stain on the spirit of the Olympic charter” and “sensationalist and politically manipulative”.
China’s Washington embassy even dismissed the boycott decision as “a pretentious act” and a “political manipulation”.
Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, accused Washington of “hyping a ‘diplomatic boycott’ without even being invited to the Games”.
“I want to stress that the Winter Olympic Games is not a stage for political posturing and manipulation,” Zhao said.
“It is a grave travesty of the spirit of the Olympic charter, a blatant political provocation and a serious affront to the 1.4 billion Chinese people.”
Zhao also warned that it would take “resolute countermeasures” should any boycott arise.
Photo credit: NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty.
The decision began when pressures grew in the US Congress over its concerns about China’s human rights record, including their treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, causing the tension to escalate between China and many western countries.
US President Joe Biden first advocated a diplomatic boycott as a protest last month, and many politicians including Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, have followed.
The move is seen as the best way to hold China accountable without punishing athletes who have been training for the games restlessly for years.
Other nations, like the United Kingdom and Australia, are expected to take the same measure.
On Friday, the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said his government “was considering those matters and working through those issues”.
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