Republican hardliners are demanding that Biden completely boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics because China is oppressing minorities. The US president is now considering certain measures. US athletes should nevertheless be allowed to participate.
In protest of human rights abuses in China, U.S. President Joe Biden is considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. "That's something we're considering," Biden told reporters at the White House. What is meant is that Washington would not send any government representatives to the Games next February, but U.S. athletes would still be allowed to participate.
Several Republican hardliners are calling on Biden to call for a complete boycott of the Winter Olympics to protest the oppression of the Uighur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. Other Republican congressmen, however, as well as numerous Democrats, are advocating a diplomatic boycott. Among them is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
The "Washington Post" had reported Tuesday that the White House would soon announce a diplomatic boycott. Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping had held their highly anticipated video summit on Monday. The virtual meeting, which lasted several hours, included contentious issues such as the conflict over Taiwan and the human rights situation in China. White House officials said there was no discussion of a possible diplomatic boycott. read more