What is President Biden’s position?

A State Department spokesman said last month that a boycott was “something that we certainly wish to discuss”—but the department later walked back those remarks. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that “we are not discussing” a boycott with allies. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has also urged the U.S. not to hold out, saying “the more effective course of action” would be to engage China directly on human rights issues. Not surprisingly, most athletes want to compete, and IOC President Thomas Bach said history shows that boycotts never achieve anything. “Why would you punish the athletes from your own country if you have a dispute with a government from another country?” Bach said. But U.S. skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin criticized the IOC for giving China the opportunity to host “an event that’s supposed to bring the world together and create hope and peace.”