US allies divided over Biden's diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
Dec 26, 2021
Washington DC [US], December 27 : Ahead of Beijing's Winter Olympics starting February next year, allies and partners of the United States are reportedly divided over the Biden administration's decision to diplomatically boycott the games.
Over China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," the Biden administration has already announced to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics.
According to The Hill, the Biden administration's diplomatic boycott of Beijing's Winter Olympics is already showing signs of being a limited success.
It reported that the effort, aimed at allowing athletes to compete while protesting China's human rights abuses, has garnered the support of lawmakers in both parties, human rights groups and key U.S. allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
France is sending diplomats to Beijing, saying it opposes using sports competitions to highlight concerns over human rights -- such as Beijing's genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, suppression of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong and cultural repression in Tibet, The Hill reported.
South Korea is not participating in the diplomatic boycott of the Games, citing its coordination with China over North Korea in a sharp break with the US. Meanwhile, the European Union has yet to make a final decision on how it will approach the Games, with member nations on opposite sides of the debate.
Norway, which is viewed as one of the best performers in the Winter Olympics, is planning to send both its diplomats and athletes to the Beijing Games, Henrik Thune, the state secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The Hill, although changing COVID-19 precautions are being watched closely.
Diplomats from Japan will also reportedly skip the Games, while New Zealand said it was keeping its diplomats at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Human rights groups are still calling for a full athletic boycott of the Games, but in the meantime are focusing efforts on talking to athletes and athletic organizations about the experience of communities in China and Chinese-controlled territories that are suffering abuses, The Hill reported.
