The United States will stage a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over concerns about China’s record on human rights, the White House has confirmed.
“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.
A diplomatic boycott means that no US government officials will attend the games but American athletes will still be allowed to compete.
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China has come under fire for cracking down on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, for its policies toward Tibet and Taiwan, and for detaining and abusing Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
The move is expected to put pressure on other nations, like the United Kingdom and Australia, to take the same measure.
Calls for either a diplomatic or full boycott of the games have grown since the Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai disappeared from public view for three weeks after making sexual assault allegations against a former senior official of the Chinese Communist Party.
Peng has since reappeared but questions remain about whether she is acting on her own free will.
A diplomatic boycott is seen by some as the best way to hold China to account without punishing athletes who have been training for the games for years.
China on Monday warned that it would take “resolute countermeasures” to any boycott.
“The Winter Olympics is not a stage for political show and political manipulation,” said Zhao Lijian, a spokesman China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“A boycott would be “a naked political provocation, and a serious offense to the 1.4 billion Chinese people.”
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