Sehar Timings Mar 29 - Ramazan 18

Lahore
LHR
04:36 AM
Karachi
KHI
05:12 AM
Islamabad
ISB
04:38 AM
Peshawar
PWR
04:42 AM
Quetta
QTA
05:07 AM

News

US mulls diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

November 19, 2021 07:42 PM


President Joe Biden said Thursday he was considering a US diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, in what would be an attempt to show toughness over China's rights abuses without impacting US athletes.

That is "something we are considering," Biden told reporters while meeting with Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, at the White House. The Beijing Olympics take place next February.

Biden's comments followed a long-awaited video summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping late Monday, during which the two leaders said they wanted to ensure stability and prevent accidental conflicts.

The US president is under pressure at home to speak out on China's human rights abuses, especially in the Xinjiang region where the US government says repression of the Uyghur ethnic group qualifies as genocide.

Campaigners say that at least one million Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking, mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps in Xinjiang, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.

China's foreign ministry on Friday brushed off the rights accusations as "inconsistent with the truth and completely groundless," calling Washington's claims a "joke in the eyes of Chinese people."

"Politicising sports is against the Olympic spirit, and harms the interests of athletes from all countries," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing Friday.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration would soon announce a diplomatic boycott, meaning that while athletes would still compete, government representatives would not be in the stands.

White House officials said that the issue was not raised during the Biden-Xi virtual summit.

Balancing act 

US-China relations hit a low point under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, with a massive trade war and incendiary debate over how the Covid-19 virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Biden has sought to re-engage with Beijing, while at the same time focusing on strengthening traditional US alliances to counter China's ever-growing economic clout and military presence across the Indo-Pacific region.

He has held two lengthy phone calls with Xi and was keen to meet in person. 

But with the Chinese leader not traveling outside of the country since the start of the Covid pandemic, this week's virtual summit was the only possible next step.

Following Biden's mention of a possible Olympics boycott, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said she did not "have an update on what our presence will be."

"I want to give the national security team and the president space to make the decision," she said.

For Biden, that decision will be part of a complex diplomatic balancing act.

His administration has left Trump-era trade tariffs on China in place and continues to order naval patrols through sensitive international sea lanes that China is accused of trying to bring under its control.

However, with Biden also emphasizing the need for dialogue, critics on the right say he is being too soft.

This makes the looming Olympic Games a political flashpoint.

"The United States must implement a complete and total boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The threat to our athletes and China's crimes against humanity leave us no other option," Republican Senator Tom Cotton tweeted Thursday.

Psaki said the White House sees US-China relations "through the prism of competition, not conflict."

However, she added, "we have serious concerns" about human rights.

 

 



Most Read

  1. Man murders young sister by smothering her with pillow in Toba Tek Singh Man murders young sister by smothering her with pillow in Toba Tek Singh
  2. Aitchison College students, parents stage protest against principal’s resignation Aitchison College students, parents stage protest against principal’s resignation
  3. Five Chinese among six killed in Shangla suicide bombing Five Chinese among six killed in Shangla suicide bombing
  4. Sahiba meets her father for the first time Sahiba meets her father for the first time
  5. Maaz Safder regrets 4-year relationship with wife Saba Maaz Safder regrets 4-year relationship with wife Saba
  6. ‘Khaie's incredible ending receives rave reviews and big applause ‘Khaie's incredible ending receives rave reviews and big applause

Opinion

  1. IMEC to sabotage CPEC
    IMEC to sabotage CPEC

    By Dr Asif Channer

  2. 1947 TO FORM 47
    1947 TO FORM 47

    By Dr Asif Channer

  3. Beijing wants to further highlight industrial sector in its country and take scientific innovation to new heights....
    Beijing wants to further highlight industrial sector in its country and take scientific innovation to new heights....

    By Ali Ramay

  4. Global race: China will reduce its unnecessary expenses
    Global race: China will reduce its unnecessary expenses

    By Ali Ramay

  5. Channer Pir: The Great Saint of Cholistan
    Channer Pir: The Great Saint of Cholistan

    By Dr Asif Channer

  6. Literate the Religious Illiterate
    Literate the Religious Illiterate

    By Dr Asif Channer