US announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics due to human rights abuses in China

The United States on Monday (December 6) announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki informed that US government officials will not attend the upcoming Winter Games which are all set to take place in the Chinese capital next year. 

Although the athletes from the United States will still be allowed to compete as the Biden administration has decided not to send any diplomats or officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. The United States was mulling the decision for a while now to protest against reported instances of human rights abuses in China. 

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Psaki announced the decision while citing human rights abuses as the reason behind the strong move. She said, "The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the PRC's (People's Republic of China) ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses."

"The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind them 100 per cent as we cheer them on from home," she added. The West has repeatedly slammed China, accusing it of perpetrating "genocide" against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, northwest China. 

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Psaki said that sending official representation to the Winter Olympics, scheduled to be held between February 4 to February 20 in 2022, would signal that, despite China's "egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang," the Games were "business as usual".