U.S. Declares Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

 

DECEMBER 07, 2021 | VIEW IN BROWSER

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By Christina Lu  Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: Washington announces a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin discuss Ukraine, and Rohingya refugees sue Facebook. Have tips or feedback? Hit reply to this email to let me know your thoughts. U.S. Declares Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics  The Biden administration has decided not to send U.S. officials to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to China’s poor human rights record, a move that sparked Beijing’s anger—and could push other countries to follow suit.  Activists have long urged Washington to boycott the Winter Games to protest Beijing’s human rights abuses, which include its brutal detention of more than one million Uyghurs and crackdowns in Hong Kong. These demands were amplified in recent weeks when Peng Shuai, a Chinese tennis star, almost completely disappeared from public life after accusing a senior Communist Party official of sexual assault.  Chinese officials were, unsurprisingly, furious over the news. “This severely tarnishes the spirit of the Olympic Charter,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, before warning of Beijing’s countermeasures. “The U.S. should stop politicizing sports.” Changing calculus. In practice, the 2022 Winter Olympics won’t look that different, despite facing a diplomatic boycott. American athletes can still participate in the games, and will remain largely unaffected by the decision. “The athletes on Team USA have our full support,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “We will be behind them 100 percent as we cheer them on from home.” But the decision is a symbolic affront to China, which has grown accustomed to others overlooking its abuses to preserve economic and political relations. In sports in particular, organizations generally steer clear of criticizing Beijing to avoid jeopardizing key business deals or offending a major market. Individuals who do speak out, like soccer player Mesut Özil or the Houston Rockets’ former general manager Daryl Morey, can risk their reputations and careers.  Chain reaction? As the Winter Games approach, the U.S. boycott could push other countries to reconsider their stances. New Zealand and Lithuania have already announced their own boycotts, while the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada have said that they are now weighing their options. “U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these Games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang,” said Psaki.  “And we simply can’t do that.”