US planning diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics 2022 over human rights abuses: Report

As Beijing’s Olympics 2022 is just three months away, Biden ministration is reportedly planning to boycott games and will not send an official delegation to China in defiance to Olympics over China’s human rights abuses, reported   Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin, who extensively covers China policy, on Tuesday, 16 November. As per analyst, US President Joe Biden has been given a formal recommendation for a diplomatic boycott of Olympics that is due to begin in February 2022. While US athletes will take part in Beijing Olympics as normal, official delegation from United States as well as state politicians will not reportedly attend games ceremony. 

“We don’t have any official update on US position,” deputy White House spokesman, Andrew Bates told WaPo, Guardian newspaper reported on 16 November. Furrmore, official stated that Olympics h not been a matter of discussion at recent Biden-Xi summit. 

Meanwhile, US national security viser, Jake Sullivan told a Brookings Institution video conference that President Biden “is always going to be Joe Biden. He is going to be direct and straightforward. And he’s not going to sand down edges of direct messages on hard issues.” 

Dems, Republicans push Biden to lodge Beijing Olympics 2022 disapproval

Biden ministration’s decision to boycott Olympics 2022 organised by China comes amid mounting pressure from both Democrats and Republicans who lodged a strong protest against Olympics 2022 games, asking Biden ministration to convey a message of disapproval to Xi Jinping government. US national security viser, Jake Sullivan also accused China of infringing freedom for civilians in Hong Kong, and human rights abuses by launching a political crackdown on pro-democracy groups. Biden ministration also plans to inform its allies and partners of its boycott, Guardian reported, quoting source.  

“President Biden raised concerns about [People’s Republic of China’s] practices in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as human rights more broly,” a White House reout from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Biden’s meeting re. 

Experts have also raised questions over United States' delay in boycotting Olympics 2022 in China, as an analyst, Michael Mazza from American Enterprise Institute stated that push to halt games must have come much earlier. “We’re now faced with suboptimal options. one White House settled on may make us feel good about ourselves, but it shouldn’t. A diplomatic boycott will do little to actually help Uyghurs and or victims of abuses,” Guardian quoted Mazza as saying. 

latter also appealed to US to send a delegation to China to highlight plight of Uyghurs and “talk every day to press about what y were seeing.” White House is also expected to make an official announcement this week that neir President Biden nor any or US official will attend Beijing Olympics, and decision will be approved by end of this month, an ministrative source told Washington Post. 

Xi planned to invite Biden to Olympics

It was reported earlier that at virtual summit between two countries' leers, Chinese President Xi Jinping h planned to give a personal invitation to US President Biden to attend Olympics games in Beijing in February 2022. Furrmore, G-7 nations at time were also discussing a “diplomatic boycott” of games over China’s Uyghur genocide. While a joint decision on government officials' attendance at Olympics games 2022 is yet to be me, athletes for G7 nations will participate in games, at least two Western diplomat sources told paper.