US Confirms Diplomatic Boycott Of Beijing Winter Olympics Citing China’s 'Ongoing Genocide' In Xinjiang

Psaki was addressing a press conference and said that the boycott does not mean the end of efforts from the US to pressurize China against the human rights violation in Xinjiang.

U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Roosevelt Room of the White House November 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

New Delhi: The Biden administration will not send a “diplomatic or official representation” to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, informed White House Secretary Jen Psaki. The decision has been taken to give out a statement against China’s “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.” 

The US athletes will still be allowed to participate, and the same policy will be applicable to the ongoing Paralympics. Psaki was addressing a press conference and said that the boycott does not mean the end of efforts from the US to pressurize China against the human rights violation in Xinjiang. She added that a diplomatic boycott does not mean “that is the end of the concerns we will raise about human rights abuses.”

She added that the US wants to send a “clear message” to China that human rights atrocities on the Uyghur Muslims in China mean that there cannot be “usual business” between China and the USA.

Tune in for a briefing with Press Secretary Jen Psaki. https://t.co/Hyc6c3ipzN

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 6, 2021

She further said that the athletes will have “full support” of the administration but the US “will not be contributing to the fanfare of the games.” 

“US 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, and we simply can't do that,” Psaki said.

She added that President Biden told President Xi that “standing up for human rights is in the DNA of the Americans.” 

According to CNN, the Olympics was not a topic of discussion between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Summit they held last month. The discussions did not reach any substantial breakthrough.