On Monday, the Biden administration confirmed that officials from the United States (US) will boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics Paralympic Games in China due to serious human rights abuses and atrocities in the Xinjiang region.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters: “US diplomatic or official representation would treat these Games as business as usual but in the face of the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang. And we simply can’t do that.”
American athletes will still participate in the Games. “The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind them 100 per cent as we cheer them on from home. We will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games,” Psaki noted.
The White House press secretary added, “We feel strongly in our position, and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond.” She stressed that “standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans.”
Responding to the boycott at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, “The US should adopt a right attitude, act in accordance with the Olympic spirit of “together”, treat China’s concerns seriously, and avoid politicising sports.” “I want to stress that the Winter Olympic Games is not a stage for political posturing and manipulation,” Zhao added.
Furthermore, Zhao slammed American politicians for publicising the diplomatic boycott, calling it “wishful thinking and pure grandstanding” aimed at political manipulation. He also called on the US to “stop hyping the so-called “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Winter Games, lest it should affect bilateral dialogue and cooperation in important areas.”
Zhao warned: “If the US is bent on going down this path, China will take resolute countermeasures.”
Meanwhile, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) issued a statement regarding the US boycott, saying, “The presence of government officials and diplomats is a purely political decision for each government, which the IOC in its political neutrality fully respects.” The statement added, “At the same time, this announcement also makes clear that the Olympic Games and the participation of the athletes are beyond politics, and we welcome this.”
Politicians back at home hailed the Biden administration’s move to boycott the Games. Democratic Senator from New Jersey and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez called the boycott “a powerful rebuke of the Chinese Communist Party’s campaign of genocide in Xinjiang.”
On the other hand, Republican Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas called the move a “half measure” and urged the government to “fully boycott the Genocide Games in Beijing.”
The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), a Washington-based advocacy group that promotes the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, welcomed the Biden administration’s decision. In a statement, UHRP executive director Omer Kanat said, “The Chinese government is using the 2022 Winter Games as a showcase for its world leadership. A diplomatic boycott sends a strong signal: governments refuse to give the green light to the Uyghur genocide.”
Officials in Australia, Canada, and Europe are currently discussing a similar diplomatic boycott.
US Confirms Diplomatic Boycott of 2022 Olympics Over China’s Human Rights Abuses
China urged the US to avoid “political posturing and manipulation” and threatened to launch serious “countermeasures.”
December 7, 2021
IMAGE SOURCE: REUTERS