Olympia – China threatens the United States with its political boycott of the Olympics

Beijing (AFP) – China has threatened the United States with “decisive countermeasures” in the event of a political boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February.

After reports of such considerations by US President Joe Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded with a sharp criticism. Even before US politicians received an invitation, the spokesman said, “they are exaggerating the boycott issue.”

“It is a mockery of the Olympic spirit, a political provocation and an attack on 1.4 billion Chinese,” Zhao Lijian told the press in Beijing. Only the Chinese and the world will see the hypocrisy and anti-Chinese nature of American politicians more clearly.

According to a report broadcast by the US news station CNN, the US government will announce this week that no official representatives will attend the games. Despite the diplomatic boycott, American athletes will participate as planned. Biden had already said in November that he was “considering” such a boycott.

China has been criticized for its human rights abuses, among other things, in its treatment of minorities such as the Uyghurs and Tibetans and the suppression of the democratic movement in Hong Kong.

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