As of: December 6th, 2021 1:42 p.m.
The US government is considering politically boycotting the Beijing Olympics. The Chinese leadership responded with sharp words. The foreign ministry threatened to “take decisive countermeasures”.
China has threatened the US with “strong countermeasures” should the US politically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. “If the US insists on deliberately sticking to its course, China will take decisive action,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Those who called for absenteeism should stop “so as not to interfere with dialogue and cooperation between China and the US in important areas”.
Even before US politicians had even received an invitation, “they are exaggerating the boycott question,” said Zhao. It was a mockery of the Olympic spirit, a political provocation and an attack on 1.4 billion Chinese, he claimed. The Chinese people and the world would only see the hypocrisy and anti-Chinese nature of American politicians more clearly.
Genocide allegation
According to CNN, US President Joe Biden will announce later this week that US government officials will not travel to the Olympic Games in the coming year. Nevertheless, US athletes should participate as planned. The Reuters news agency reports that there is a growing consensus in the White House not to send representatives of the US government to the games in China.
Biden had already said in November that he was “considering” such a boycott. His government had also asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Winter Olympics because of disregard for human rights in China. The US accuses China, among other things, of the genocide of the Muslim Uyghur minority.