Australia, U.K. join U.S. in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
Global News
Australia announced Wednesday it will join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Australia and the United Kingdom will join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, as other allies weigh similar moves to protest China‘s human rights record.
The United States has said its government officials will boycott February’s Beijing Olympics because of China’s human rights “atrocities,” just weeks after talks aimed at easing tense relations between the world’s two largest economies.
China said the United States would “pay the price” for its decision and warned of countermeasures in response, but gave no details.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday’s decision came because of the country’s struggles to re-open diplomatic channels with China to discuss alleged human rights abuses in the far western region of Xinjiang and Beijing’s moves against Australian imports.
Announcing the plans, Morrison said Beijing had not responded to several issues raised by Canberra, including the rights abuse accusations.
“So it is not surprising therefore that Australian government officials would not be going to China for those Games,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney. Australian athletes will attend.
Furthermore on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said no U.K. government minister will attend the Olympics, calling it “effectively” a diplomatic boycott.
He said he opposed boycotts involving athletes, but Great Britain would effectively be boycotting the Olympics diplomatically.
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