Washington has stated that its diplomats and officials will not attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in the face of human rights abuse and atrocities in China. Beijing has criticised the move, British public broadcaster BBC reports.
«US diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang,» the US White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced on Monday, December 6. «We simply can’t do that.»
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Meanwhile, the spokesperson added that the US government did not feel «it was the right step to penalise athletes who had been training for this moment». After Washington’s announcement, New Zealand stated on Tuesday, December 7, avoid sending a delegation to the February 2022 games.
China reacts angrily and speaks of countermeasures
«The US just wants to politicize sports, create divisions and provoke confrontation,» reads a statement by the spokesperson of the Chinese representation to the UN. «The success of the Games does not rely on the attendance of a handful of countries’ government officials.» Beijing has previously stated that it would take «resolute countermeasures» against such a boycott, BBC reports.
American officials to boycott Beijing Olympic Games
