China warns not to boycott ’22 Olympics

BEIJING — China’s government warned Washington on Wednesday not to boycott next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing after the Biden administration said it was talking with allies about a joint approach to complaints of rights abuses.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected accusations of abuses against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region. He warned of an unspecified “robust Chinese response” to a potential Olympics boycott.

“The politicization of sports will damage the spirit of the Olympic Charter and the interests of athletes from all countries,” said the spokesperson, Zhao Lijian. “The international community, including the U.S. Olympic Committee, will not accept it.”

Rights groups are protesting China’s hosting of the games, due to start in February.

They have urged a boycott or other measures to call attention to accusations of Chinese abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans and residents of Hong Kong.

The U.S. State Department suggested an Olympic boycott was among the possibilities, but an official said later a boycott has not been discussed. The International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have said they oppose boycotts.

White House press secretary

Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the White House is not looking at a boycott of the 2022 Olympics.

“We have not discussed, and are not discussing, any joint boycott with allies and partners,” she said.

When asked if the U.S. government would discourage Americans from traveling to China, Psaki said the Biden administration hopes that by the time of the event, “we are at a point where enough people across the country, and hopefully around the world have been vaccinated” against COVID-19.