Headline Roundup • December 7th, 2021
White House Imposes Diplomatic Boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The White House has imposed a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, accusing the communist nation of genocide and other human rights abuses, including the abuse and mass detainment of Muslims in the Xinjiang region.
While U.S. athletes can still compete, no U.S. government officials will be sent. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki cited "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses" as the main motivations for the boycott. Human rights groups pushed the White House to enact a full athlete boycott of the Games, but the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee ultimately did not support the move. China's Foreign Minister spokesperson responded by saying "the U.S. will pay for its wrongdoing."
Outlets across the spectrum covered the news and highlighted threats from China in response to the boycott. Some reports from right-rated sources focused on Republican lawmakers who say the diplomatic boycott doesn't go far enough.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Monday that the U.S. will not send a diplomatic delegation to the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, China.
"The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the [People's Republic of China's] ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses," Psaki told reporters.
The boycott does not extend to athletes, and Psaki added that competitors will have the country's "full support." The winter event will kick off on Friday, February 4.
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Republican lawmakers took aim at President Biden for his diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, arguing keeping U.S. officials from attending did not go far enough as they called for removing the games from China.
The Biden administration itself has accused the communist nation of genocide.
"While I have called for the United States and other nations to impose a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics, this is the bare minimum, and President Biden should do more to hold accountable the Chinese Communist Party," Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said in a statement...
Greg Baker / AFP via Getty Images
China has told the United States it will "pay" for its diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics on human rights grounds.
The White House on Monday announced it would not send any government officials to the Games in February 2022, due to "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses."
This prompted a stern response from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who told a press conference Tuesday: "The U.S. will pay for its wrongdoing. You can wait and see."
Zhao accused the U.S. of hypocrisy and...
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