The Beijing Winter Olympics are slated to open on February 4, 2022.
(Photo: dpa)
Sydney Australia joins the US diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. This was announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney on Wednesday. This decision was “not a surprise” to him, he added.
He cited a number of misunderstandings between Canberra and Beijing as the reason, including China’s criticism of Australia’s decision to purchase nuclear-powered submarines. His government again denounced “human rights violations in Xinjiang and other issues”, but the Chinese government has shown no willingness to talk.
Australian athletes should, however, take part in the games in Beijing, stressed Morrison. “Australia is a great sports nation, but I do keep sports and other political issues apart.”
The US announced on Monday a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games in February 2022 in protest against human rights violations in China. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden’s administration would not send diplomatic or official representatives to Beijing.
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The formal boycott of Australia threatens relations with China, its largest trading partner, to deteriorate further.
Tensions had intensified when the Canberra government denied Chinese telecommunications company Huawei access to its 5G broadband network and called for an independent investigation into the origin of Covid-19. The People’s Republic responded with import tariffs on Australian goods, including coal, beef, barley and wine.
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