China vows to take ‘resolute countermeasures’ as US officials boycott Games

dpa Beijing China has sharply criticised the diplomatic boycott of February’s Beijing Winter Olympics by the United States. Washington should stop politici...

dpaBeijingChina has sharply criticised the diplomatic boycott of February’s Beijing Winter Olympics by the United States.Washington should stop politicizing sports, Foreign Office spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday in Beijing. He announced “resolute countermeasures,” without giving details. The Olympics are not a stage for “political manipulation,” he added.White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki had announced the previous day that President Joe Biden’s administration would not send diplomatic or official representatives to the Games in China because of alleged human rights abuses.US athletes will still attend. Other countries are mulling a diplomatic boycott.China’s foreign office spokesman said the US should stop “disrupting the Beijing Winter Olympics with words or deeds.” Otherwise, he said, they are harming bilateral dialogue and cooperation with China on important issues.The Winter Games will be held from February 4-20 next year. In an exclusive interview with DPA, International Olympic Commmittee president Thomas Bach pledged a Beijing Games with “no discrimination, freedom of the press, open internet, freedom of expression for the athletes.” But speaking before the US boycott was confirmed, he said: “The Olympics cannot solve problems that generations of politicians have not solved.” China has come under criticism for alleged human rights abuses including its treatment of minorities such as the Uighurs and Tibetans and its suppression of the democracy movement in Hong Kong. There are also major political tensions between the United States and China over other contentious issues. The relationship has fallen to its lowest point since diplomatic relations were established in 1979. Biden sees China as the most powerful competitor and the greatest geopolitical challenge for the United States. Russia has also criticized the US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Russia advocates keeping politics out of Olympic affairs, Kremlim spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow, according to the Interfax agency.Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to fly to China for the Games in February after being invited. Strict coronavirus rules means some heads of state may not be invited anyway.Due to sanctions in response to state-organised doping, Russian athletes cannot officially compete for their country at the Winter Games, but only for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).Peskov said: “The most important thing for us is that all athletes have the right to participate in fair competitions.”