The Russian news agency Sputnik quoted media reports as saying that the UK government was actively discussing the possibility of sending officials to the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Foreign Secretary Listrus is reported to have backed the move.
Sputnik was quoted in the Times as saying that the UK would be represented by the UK Ambassador to the Winter Olympics, but that no other officials would attend. On Thursday, NBC News reported that United States President Joe Biden said his government was considering a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
When asked about the possibility of a boycott at the Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Biden responded that this was “something we are considering”, NBC News reports. The White House usually sends a delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, but this time it will not send a delegation due to a diplomatic boycott.
The call for a diplomatic boycott has been welcomed by top US lawmakers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for such a boycott. CNN said it was a move to protest China’s human rights abuses. But
However, China has warned that the politicization of the Olympics could have a detrimental effect on the global sports movement. Sputnik reports that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shao Lijian has responded to US President Joe Biden’s reference to the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Shao Lijian said the 2022 Winter Olympics and the Beijing Paralympics are venues for athletes from around the world and are the real heroes of the upcoming Games. A Chinese spokesman added that any politicization of the sport violates the Olympic spirit and is detrimental to the interests of athletes in all countries.
China’s brutal human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims are high in Xinjiang. It is the first time that human rights activists have begun to raise their voices against China’s detention of Uyghur Muslims and its crackdown on pro – democratic protests in Hong Kong.
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