US announces diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, looking to “send a clear message”

The United States has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The move comes as a rebuke of the questionable human rights record of the host China. While the Joe Biden lead administration had hinted of a boycott, the White House made an official statement on Monday.

The US accuses of perpetrating “genocide” against Uyghur Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region and the mysterious disappearance of Tennis player Peng Shuai only fuelled the worsening situation. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the country’s stand as she added that the administration would not contribute to the “fanfare” of the Olympics.

“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,” she said. “We simply can’t do that.“

“As the president has told President Xi, standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans,” Psaki adds. “We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights, and we feel strongly in our position and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond.“

Diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to have no bearing on athletes

Interestingly, the US athletes have the choice of featuring in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Ms Psaki said the US government did not feel “it was the right step to penalise athletes who had been training for this moment” but that not sending an official US delegation to the 2022 Games “could send a clear message”.

“The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind them 100% as we cheer them on from home,” Psaki added.

The decision has been widely welcomed by both parties of the US Senate. While China is yet to give a reaction to the announcement, Tao Wang, spokesperson for China’s permanent mission to the United Nations feels it reflects the “Cold War mentality” of the United States.

“The success of the Games does not rely on the attendance of a handful of countries’ government officials,” Tao Wang told CBS News adding that the U.S. decision “reflects its mentality of Cold War. The U.S. just wants to politicize sports, create divisions and provoke confrontation.“

Earlier, China had threatened the US of taking “resolute countermeasures” if they boycott the Winter Games. “I want to stress that the Winter Olympic Games is not a stage for political posturing and manipulation,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing and claimed that the US is unnecessarily overhyping the issue. “If the US is bent on having its own way, China will take resolute countermeasures,” China’s foreign ministry said.

Also read: “China & Human Rights Abuse”: The Peng Shuai Story tells the reality of the Communist Party in China