The US government will not send delegates to the Beijing Winter Olympics. The White House announced on Monday that reports AP . news agency. The event is being boycotted diplomatically, according to the US, because of human rights violations by China.
White House spokesman Jen Psaki said the boycott is “a clear message” about “China’s human rights violations and atrocities in Xinjiang.” In the Xinjiang region, the Chinese government is said to use widespread violence against the Muslim Uyghurs and place this ethnic minority in re-education camps. American athletes who participate in the Winter Games will receive full support from the US government, according to Psaki.
Normally, participating countries send large delegations of diplomats, including ministers and government leaders, to sporting events such as the Winter Games. Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, will be present at the opening ceremony in Beijing. It is not yet known whether other countries will join the boycott of the US. According to Psaki, US allies must “make their own decisions”. US media report that Australia and the United Kingdom are considering leaving their official delegation at home.
Earlier in the day, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry Zhao Lijian called the diplomatic boycott an “outright political provocation” that will damage bilateral relations between the two countries. “If the US willfully stick to this course, China will take decisive countermeasures,” Lijian said. However, the diplomatic boycott seems to be of purely symbolic value: the Chinese state newspaper Global Times previously wrote that China did not intend to invite a US delegation to the Winter Games.
#announces #diplomatic #boycott #Beijing #Winter #Games
source https://pledgetimes.com/us-announces-diplomatic-boycott-of-beijing-winter-games/
Disqus comments