President Joe Biden said on Thursday he was considering a US diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, an attempt to crack down on China’s rights abuses without affecting American athletes.
“It’s something we’re looking at,” Biden told reporters during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House. The Beijing Olympics are to be held next February.
After Biden’s remarks a Video summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Late Monday night, during which the two leaders said they wanted to ensure stability and prevent accidental clashes.
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However, Biden is under pressure at home to speak out on China’s human rights abuses, especially in Xinjiang where the US government says repression The Uyghur ethnic group qualifies as a genocide.
On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration will soon announce a diplomatic boycott, meaning that while athletes will still compete, government representatives will not be in the stands.
White House officials said the issue was not raised during the Biden-Xi virtual summit.
US-China relations
Under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, US-Chinese relations hit a low point with a massive trade war and debate over how the Covid-19 virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Biden has sought to reconnect with Beijing, as well as focus on strengthening traditional US alliances to counter China’s ever-increasing economic clout and military presence in the Indo-Pacific.
He has had two lengthy phone calls with Xi and was keen to meet in person. However, with the Chinese leader not traveling outside the country since the start of the Covid pandemic, it The only virtual summit of the week was Possible next step.
Following Biden’s mention of a possible Olympic boycott, press secretary Jen Psaki said she “has no updates on what our attendance will be.” “I want to give the national security team and the president the space to make decisions,” she said.
For Biden, the decision would be part of a complex diplomatic balancing act.
His administration has dropped Trump-era trade tariffs on China and continues to order naval patrols through sensitive international sea lanes that China is accused of trying to bring under its control.
However, with Biden also emphasizing the need for dialogue, critics say he is being too soft.
This makes the upcoming Olympic Games a political flashpoint.
“The United States must implement a complete and complete boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The threat to our athletes and China’s crimes against humanity leave us no other choice,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton tweeted Thursday.
The United States should implement a complete and complete boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The threat to our athletes and China’s crimes against humanity leave us with no other option. pic.twitter.com/lSLvKhJPMd
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 18, 2021
Psaki said the White House views US-China relations “through the prism of competition, not conflict.” However, he added that “we have serious concerns” about human rights.
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