UK joins US in 'considering' diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Report

UK on Friday joined calls of ‘diplomatic boycott’ of Beijing’s Winter Olympics with US as it lodged protest against China’s record on human rights abuses. UK’s Foreign Minister Liz Truss is in “active discussion” with or lawmakers in favour of boycott of games to be held in China in February 2022. British ministers from Prime Minister Boris Johsnon’s ministration would not attend Games, although some of UK diplomats to China will, UK’s leing newspaper Times reported. As many as five Conservative politicians have alrey written to PM Boris Johnson to ban any official UK diplomatic representation at Winter Olympics in Beijing. 

In July this year, British parliamentarians h voted in favor of a motion that asked Boris Johnson government to diplomatically boycott Beijing Winter Olympics over Chinese CPC’s alleged atrocities and human rights abuses committed against minority Uyghur community in Xinjiang province. Lawmakers also pressurised UK leer to demand that China gives UN 'unfettered access' for a transparent probe into  "systematic persecution" of Uyghurs. UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office spokesperson at time h confirmed that "no decisions have been me" yet.

China has arbitrarily detained more than a million Uyghurs in camps, subjecting m to torture and forced sterilization for ethnic cleansing. In March, UK also me an official announcement to sanction four Chinese officials over "appalling violations" of human rights describing Chinese atrocities as  "one of worst human rights crises of our time”. 

US still finalising 'what our presence will be': Psaki 

As Beijing’s Olympics 2022 is just three months away, Biden ministration has been planning to boycott games. US will not send an official delegation to China in defiance to Olympics over Beijing's human rights abuses, and US President Joe Biden has been given a formal recommendation for same, Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin first reported. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki later said at a White House briefing that a diplomatic boycott would not affect athletes, ding that US is still finalising "what our presence will be" at games.

US President Joe Biden later confirmed with reporters that he is “considering” a diplomatic boycott of 2022 Winter Olympics games ahe of talks with leers of Mexico and Cana. It is “something we’re considering,” he said.