December 6, 2021
2 mins read

US govt to announce diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

The move will allow the US to send a message on the world stage to China without preventing US athletes from competing …reports Asian Lite News

The administration of US President Joe Biden is expected to announce this week that no American government officials will attend the 2022 Beijing Olympics, implementing a diplomatic boycott of the games, CNN reported.

The move will allow the US to send a message on the world stage to China without preventing US athletes from competing, the report said.

The National Security Council, which has been privately discussing the boycott, declined to comment.

Last month, President Biden told the media that he was weighing a diplomatic boycott as Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, advocated for one in protest of China’s human rights abuses, the CNN report said.

A full boycott is not expected, meaning US athletes will still be allowed to compete.

The last time the US fully boycotted the Olympics was in 1980 when then President Jimmy Carter was in office.

Last month’s virtual summit between the US President and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, seen as some of the most critical diplomatic talks of Biden’s presidency, yielded no significant breakthroughs, the report said.

However, it served as an auspicious restart to relations following steep deterioration during the final year of former President Donald Trump’s administration and continued hostility into Biden’s.

Throughout the November summit, Biden and Xi engaged engaged in a “healthy debate”, according to a senior administration official present for the discussions.

Biden raised concerns about human rights, Chinese aggression toward Taiwan and trade issues, the report added.

Lithuania confirms boycott

Lithuania on Friday confirmed diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics amid concerns over the human rights situation in China.

“Lithuania confirms diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022 Olympics. President @GitanasNauseda confirmed that neither he nor Ministers would attend,” Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) tweeted.

This comes as human rights activists have raised their voices against China’s detention of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province and crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Earlier this year, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The relations between the two countries soured this year after the Lithuanian government allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in the country. Back in August, China recalled its ambassador from Vilnius, to which Lithuania responded reciprocally in September.

Recently, reports emerged that Lithuanian companies are facing problems with customs clearance in Chinese ports after China allegedly deleted Lithuania from its customs systems. (IANS/ANI)

ALSO READ: Covid ‘Panicodemic’ causing weakening of will in democracies

Previous Story

Jaishankar meets Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Abu Dhabi

Next Story

India-UAE close partnership will scale new heights: Jaishankar

Latest from -Top News

Turkey’s Jet Roars, West Watches

It is visible that Turkey is intentionally reducing reliance on U.S. and Western military imports, especially F-16s and the failed F-35 partnership, to achieve strategic independence….writes Ankit V In 2016, Ankara announced

‘Op Sindoor’ Team Wraps Up Saudi Visit

The visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of India and Saudi Arabia in the fight against terrorism….reports Asian Lite News Riyadh, May 30 (IANS) The Indian all-party delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant

Visa Interview Pause Nearing End, Says US

India is the source country for the largest group of international students in the US and Bruce’s comments will be closely followed there….reports Asian Lite News The United States said the pause

No Talks Till Terror Ends: India to Pakistan

The MEA’s strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India….reports

BNP ramps up poll demand

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among
Go toTop

Don't Miss

US monitoring India-China border dispute: White House

The Indian side is expected to press for disengagement as

US Senator Menendez moves bill for climate ties with India

The introduction of the bill comes amidst heightened cooperation between