United States President Joe Biden on Thursday said that the American federal government was considering a diplomatic boycott of Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics as lawmakers warn of security risks and China's human rights abuses.
If the American government decides to push through with its decision to boycott the Beijing Olympics, U.S. officials would not attend the Games. The Olympics are set to begin in February and would still include U.S. athletes who will continue to compete despite the diplomatic boycott.
Boycotting the Beijing Olympics
Biden, during his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House, answered a reporter's question about the possibility of a diplomatic boycott by saying that it was something he was considering. The Democrat's comments came a few days after he held a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The U.S. president's virtual summit with the Chinese leader sought to prevent and relieve rising tensions between the two nations over several international issues. Xi warned Biden's administration against supporting Taiwan, which Beijing believes is still part of its territory. On the other hand, Biden questioned Xi about China's human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, Tibet, and Hong Kong, the New York Times reported.
On Wednesday, however, the senior administration official said that President Biden had not yet signed off on having no government official attend the Beijing Olympics. But they did reveal that discussions were held regarding the matter that had been leaning in that decision.
Despite meeting in a virtual summit, Biden and Xi did not discuss the upcoming Beijing Olympics and instead focused on other issues. The two leaders allegedly engaged in a "healthy debate", said a senior Biden administration official present during the meeting.
"We've said from the beginning of this administration, as it relates to how we engage with China, that we see it through the prism of competition, not conflict," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, adding on Thursday afternoon that a potential decision to boycott the Beijing Olympics did not mean anything regarding the Biden-Xi virtual summit, CNN reported.
Mistreatment of Other People
The situation comes as several lawmakers have been urging the Biden administration to boycott the Beijing Olympics, including Sen. Tom Cotton. The Arkansas Republican called on the federal government to decide on boycotting the event due to security risks and China's alleged human rights abuses.
Cotton, who is a member of the Intelligence Committee, said that the Biden administration should conduct a full boycott of the Beijing Olympics, where no official, athlete, or corporate sponsor should attend. The proposal would result in several officials not attending the event, including Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney.
In a statement, the Arkansas senator said that the American government had enough reason to boycott the Beijing Olympics, including China's crimes against the United States and the civilized world and its own people. The lawmaker's comments referenced Beijing's treatment of the minority Uyghur population in the Xinjiang province. The situation also comes after the Biden administration issued sanctions on two Chinese government officials over the mistreatment of the minorities, NBC News reported.
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