U.S. plans diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

The U.S. will stage a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing to protest Chinese human rights abuses, the White House confirmed Monday — a move that China has vowed to greet with "firm countermeasures."

"U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the [People's Republic of China's] egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can't do that," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during Monday's briefing.

She said U.S. athletes will continue to compete and will "have our full support," but added that "we will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games."

"We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights. And we feel strongly in our position, and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond," Psaki said.

Canada's minister of sport, Pascale St-Onge, said the government has yet to decide whether it will engage in a similar boycott of the Games, which begin on Feb. 4, 2022.

"We are, of course, very preoccupied with the violations of human rights in China. It's not a decision that we're going to take lightly, and as soon as we have made the decision, we will communicate it to you," she said.

Biden this week will host a White House Summit for Democracy, a virtual gathering of leaders and civil society experts from more than 100 countries that is set to take place Thursday and Friday.

The administration has said that Biden intends to use the convening "to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad."

Robert Menendez, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee and a Democratic senator from New Jersey, called such a diplomatic boycott "a necessary step to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to human rights in the face of the Chinese government's unconscionable abuses."

He called on "other allies and partners that share our values to join with the United States in this diplomatic boycott."

The White House National Security Council's spokesperson gave no public update Monday on Biden's decision on the diplomatic boycott. CNN was first to report that an announcement was expected this week.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accused U.S. politicians of grandstanding over the issue of not sending dignitaries to attend events that China hopes will showcase its economic development and technological prowess.

Speaking to reporters at a daily briefing, Zhao said such a move would be an "outright political provocation" but gave no details on how China might retaliate.

Human rights advocates and lawmakers in the U.S. who support a boycott say it is a necessary step. They cite China's poor record on human rights as justification, saying China is using the Games to whitewash its ill treatment of civil rights activists, political dissidents and ethnic minorities.