China has threatened to take “countermeasures” if US politicians didn’t stop calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Those calling for a boycott are “grandstanding” and should
stop “so as not to affect the dialogue and cooperation between
China and the United States in important areas,” Zhao
Lijian, China’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.
“If the US insists in willfully clinging to its course,
China will take resolute countermeasures,” he said at a news
conference.
The Biden administration is expected to announce this week that US government officials will not attend the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, CNN reported on Sunday.
READ MORE: China not inviting Western politicians who threaten boycott of Olympics
China’s human rights record
US President Joe Biden said last month that he was
considering such a diplomatic boycott to protest China’s human
rights record, including what Washington says is genocide
against minority Muslims.
The administration has been under
pressure from activists and members of Congress to skip the
games.
The White House declined to comment on CNN’s report on
Sunday.
Four sources with knowledge of the administration’s
thinking previously told Reuters that there was a growing
consensus within the White House to keep US officials away
from the Beijing Olympics.
CNN said the US boycott would not prevent its athletes
from competing in the games.
The State Department did not respond to questions about the
report late Sunday.
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