They are four so far to have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics next February and this list could well grow in the hours to come.
We are awaiting in particular the position of France which announced Tuesday its willingness to coordinate with the other countries of the European Union on this issue.
These positions are notably motivated by the persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the north-west of the country, so earlier this week Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the White House maintained that by sending officials to Beijing " the American diplomatic representation would treat these Games as if nothing had happened, despite the gross human rights violations and China's atrocities in Xinjiang. And we just can't do that. "
China therefore did not wait to condemn these four reluctant countries to send their officials to attend the Winter Olympics. Speaking to the press on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin warned that the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada who will send athletes to the Games but no official representation, "will pay the price. Of their decision. "Resorting to the Olympic Games stage for political manipulation is unpopular and amounts to isolating yourself," he added.
The spokesperson also said that his country had not sent invitations to the countries in question.
“Whether their official representatives come or not, the Beijing Winter Games will be a success.
Sport has nothing to do with politics.
The Olympics are a great gathering of athletes and sports enthusiasts, not a stage for politicians to put on a show.
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This is not the first time that this Chinese diplomat has spoken out about these various boycott decisions.
This Wednesday, already at a press conference, he assured that his country had never intended to invite senior Australian officials.
“Nobody cares if they come or not,” he had said.
Read also "A sign towards public opinion": understand everything about the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics by the United States
Italy, which will host the next Winter Olympics in 2026, as well as Russia, have for their part let it be known that they do not intend to join this protest movement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already accepted the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
The Winter Olympics are scheduled for February 4 to 20.
