The United States has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over genocide and other human rights violations being committed by the Chinese Communist party.
“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.
Psaki officially announces a U.S. diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Olympics: "The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given the PRC's ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity[.]" pic.twitter.com/xc5WL08rNI
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 6, 2021
In preparation for an expected boycott, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian threatened that China was prepared to take “countermeasures.”
“Without being invited, American politicians keep hyping the so-called diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic, which is purely wishful thinking and grandstanding,” Zhao said. “If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take firm countermeasures.”
China has been acting increasingly aggressive this year, with China’s communist dictator Xi Jinping calling for China to strengthen its military and indicating China’s intention to invade Taiwan.
“We must accelerate the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. A strong country must have a strong military, as only then can it guarantee the security of the nation,” Xi said in a speech over the summer celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, later adding, “Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment of the Communist Party of China. We must take resolute action to utterly defeat any attempt toward ‘Taiwan independence.’”
Before Xi’s speech, experts said that it China appeared to be working to “accelerate their modernization programs to develop capabilities to seize Taiwan” by 2027. The following week, the Washington Post reported that China was adding more than 100 new missile silos.
“The 119 nearly identical construction sites contain features that mirror those seen at existing launch facilities for China’s arsenal of nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles,” The Washington Post reported. “The acquisition of more than 100 new missile silos, if completed, would represent a historic shift for China, a country that is believed to possess a relatively modest stockpile of 250 to 350 nuclear weapons.”
