What does the US boycott of Beijing 2022 mean?
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Hong Kong (CNN) -
China threatened Joe Biden's government with retaliation for its decision to impose a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
In addition, he warned that the measure could damage bilateral relations.
The Biden administration said on Monday that it would not send an official US delegation to the Beijing Winter Games as a statement against China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang."
American athletes will be able to compete in the Games.
Speed skaters attend a training session for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on December 3, 2021 in Beijing.
Before the official announcement, Beijing warned that it would take "determined countermeasures" against Washington if the diplomatic boycott continued.
"American politicians continue to promote a 'diplomatic boycott' without even being invited to the Games. This illusion and sheer bombast is aimed at political manipulation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a conference on press on Monday, local time.
'A grave insult to 1.4 billion Chinese'
Zhao called the boycott "a grave parody of the spirit of the Olympic charter" and "a grave insult to 1.4 billion Chinese."
"The United States should stop politicizing sports and promoting the so-called 'diplomatic boycott' so as not to affect the dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States in important areas," he said.
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Relations between the two superpowers had started to improve recently, following last month's virtual summit between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
While the meeting did not yield significant progress, it did allow for a return to a more constructive and stable relationship, following a near-total breakdown during the final year of the Trump administration and continued hostility toward the Biden administration.
Beijing has not offered any clues about the countermeasures it is considering, but the possibility of further retaliation now threatens to derail bilateral relations once again.
Threat to the relationship with China
Compared to the angry response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, some Chinese diplomats and state media employees have offered a more nonchalant version of Twitter, a platform that is blocked in China, noting that American politicians had not yet been invited to attend. the games.
"Politicians calling for the # 2022BeijingOlympics boycott do so for their own political interests and stance. In fact, no one would care whether these people come or not, and it has no impact on # Beijing2022 to be held successfully," he tweeted. Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
Controversies surrounding the Beijing Winter Olympics 2:38
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the nationalist tabloid Global Times, also intervened.
"Why all the fuss? If US officials don't come, so be it. China didn't invite them anyway," he tweeted.
"Only supernarcissistic people will regard your absence as a powerful boycott. Most of those US government officials are close contacts of COVID-19 patients by China's standard, as well as fussy and pretentious. You are the people Beijing residents least want to see. "
While Beijing may not be overly concerned about the absence of American politicians, it could turn into a bigger headache if more countries join the US action.
The UK, Canada and Australia have previously said they were considering a diplomatic boycott.
Why the boycott?
Activists have long called for a boycott of the Beijing Games in protest of China's human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet, and its political crackdown in Hong Kong.
Over the past month, Beijing's silencing of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's sexual assault allegations against a former Chinese leader further amplified those calls.
The diplomatic boycott of the United States has been welcomed by rights groups.
Human Rights Watch called it a "crucial step in challenging crimes against humanity committed by the Chinese government against Uighurs and other Turkic communities."
"But this should not be the only action. The United States should now redouble efforts with like-minded governments to investigate and chart paths to accountability for those responsible for these crimes and justice for survivors," Sophie Richardson said in a statement. , China director at Human Rights Watch.
The potential snowball effect is clearly on the minds of some Chinese diplomats.
The Chinese mission to the United Nations, for example, has called the US move a reflection of "its Cold War mentality."
"The United States only wants to politicize sport, create divisions and provoke confrontation. This approach will find no support and is doomed to failure. It will only further isolate them and oppose the trend of the time and the vast majority of countries and people across the world. world, "mission spokesman Zhu Zhiqiang said in a statement.
What happened in the past
Washington's response to the Beijing Winter Games stands in stark contrast to its approach to the Beijing Summer Olympics 13 years ago, when the Chinese government faced harsh criticism and protests against its crackdown in Tibet.
In 2008, then-President George W. Bush attended the Olympic opening ceremony and cheered on American athletes during the Games.
His father, former President George Bush, also attended the Games as an honorary captain of the American team.
CNN's Allie Malloy, Kate Sullivan and Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.
Boycott
