China warns U.S. against boycott of Winter Olympics

WASHINGTON — Amid reports that the State Department and the Biden administration are weighing a possible boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing because of China’s human rights record, China on Wednesday warned against such a move.

Human rights groups are protesting China’s hosting of the Games, which are set to start in February. They have urged a diplomatic or straightup boycott of the event to call attention to alleged Chinese abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans, and residents of Hong Kong.

On Tuesday, Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. is consulting with likeminded countries around the world to determine how to proceed. Price says the administration is discussing China strategy, including participation in the Olympics, with a number of allies in order to present a united front.

Later, a senior State Department official said that a boycott has not yet been discussed.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian rejected accusations of human rights abuses and 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,” Zhao said. “The international community, including the U.S. Olympic Committee, will not accept it.”

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.

Rights groups have met with the International Olympic Committee and have been told the Olympic body must stay politically “neutral.” They have been told by the IOC that China has given “assurances” about human rights conditions.

Both the IOC and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have said in the past they oppose boycotts.

In March, IOC President Thomas Bach said history shows that boycotts don’t achieve anything. “It also has no logic,” he said. “Why would you punish the athletes from your own country if you have a dispute with a government from another country? This just makes no real sense.”