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US boycotts Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

US boycotts Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

The Biden administration will not send an official US delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as a counter-response to China for "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang."

The news was given by White House press secretary Jen Psaki today.

American athletes will still be allowed to compete in the Olympics, but the administration will not send government officials to the Games. The same policy applies to the Paralympic Games, which will be held in Beijing.

The White House is seeking to send a "clear message" that human rights abuses in China mean there can be no "business," Psaki told reporters at a White House conference.

The move marks an escalation of U.S. pressure on China over allegations of forced labor and human rights abuses in China's western region of Xinjiang, particularly against the Uighur population and other ethnic and religious minority groups.

"The US diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business in the face of China's scandalous human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we just can not do that," Psaki said.

Tiranapost.al