The US confirms its boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing

The White House confirmed this Monday the diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in response to the human rights violations committed by the Chinese government in Xinjiang, which implies that no senior US official will attend the sporting event, something that will not has precedent since 1980.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has indicated that the Joe Biden Administration is sending a “clear message” that abuses cannot go unpunished. At a press conference, Psaki confirmed that the decision was taken “given the genocide and ongoing crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang province.

Although it does not send a diplomatic delegation, the White House has conveyed its “full support” to the US Olympic team, while insisting that it is not willing to “contribute to the fanfare of the game,” reports CNN. Psaki added that the government does not consider it a “correct or fair step” to apply a full boycott of the games, as it would penalize American athletes.

For his part, the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, has defended the decision, considering that without diplomatic representation a signal will not be sent that the competition represents something “similar to normality” in the face of “ongoing atrocities, crimes against humanity and genocide ”.

Price has specified that Washington will provide “support” diplomatic service to US citizens such as athletes, coaches and personnel who decide to go to Beijing for the Games. Although the spokesman has indicated that the boycott is a decision “that each country must take”, he has expressed that he hopes that other governments “will announce their decision in the coming days and weeks.” “What we know is that there are many countries around the world, including many of our closest allies, that share these concerns (about the abuses in Xinjiang),” he recalled.

On the other hand, he has told the private sector that he has “at his fingertips” a “large volume of information on the concerns” raised by Washington about the situation in the region, for which he has urged them to “make decisions about their practices ”in this regard. “We want the private sector to be fully aware and operate with all the information regarding what is happening in Xinjiang,” he claimed.

The possible American boycott was something that had been talked about in recent weeks. Biden himself acknowledged in November that the diplomatic boycott was on the table, after it had been requested by prominent voices from the main parties, including Democrat Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives.

Chinese warnings

The Chinese authorities have warned on Tuesday that the boycott by the United States Government to the Winter Olympics could cause “damage” to the bilateral dialogue and cooperation between the parties in “important areas.” In a press conference, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, has urged “to leave politics out of the world of sports” and has criticized the measure confirmed by the White House, which has indicated that the decision has been taken in response to human rights violations committed by the Chinese government in the Xinjiang region.

Zhao has indicated that the country is “firmly opposed” to the boycott and has announced that Beijing “will take all necessary measures” with “resolution”. “The plan to try to hamper the holding of the Olympics has failed and leads to a loss of moral authority and credibility” on the part of the United States, he said.

In this sense, he has asked Washington to stop mixing politics with sports and has recalled that a boycott goes against the Olympic principles. On Monday, a spokesman for China’s mission to the UN called the decision a “political farce” and said that the success of the sporting event “does not depend on the attendance of a few high-ranking officials from various countries.” For the Chinese government, the US decision only reveals “its Cold War-style mentality and its intention to politicize sport, create divisions and provoke confrontation” in an act of pure “political manipulation.”

Other countries

This same Tuesday, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson confirmed that the country will not send diplomatic representatives at the ministerial level to the Olympic Games, but has mainly used health reasons due to the pandemic. However, it has clarified that “on numerous occasions the concern about matters related to Human Rights has been transferred to China.” “There have been several factors, but mainly those related to the coronavirus and the fact that logistics for travel is not conducive at this time,” he said.

For their part, countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have explained that they are considering their positions. Last week, Lithuania, facing diplomatic and trade hostilities from China over its growing relationship with Taiwan, announced that neither its president nor its ministers will be coming to the country for the Games.

IOC posture

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, has described the debate on the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics as “a purely political discussion.” “The IOC is also politically neutral on this issue,” Bach said in an interview with the DPA news agency after the US government announced that it will not send any diplomatic or official representative to the Games.

The future German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, has also not ruled out taking similar measures once the new government is formed. Bach, for his part, referred to the recent UN resolution declaring the Olympic truce: “The Games have the mission, regardless of where they are held, to unite the world in a sporting and peaceful competition, and to place it above any other dispute. Sport, he said, should serve as “an instrument to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in conflict zones.” “This mission is more important than ever, especially in such a fragile and confrontational time,” he stressed. ‘The IOC does not have the power or the means to change political systems. Here the political neutrality of the IOC and the Games is maintained, “he added.