CNN "US Likely to Announce Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics This Week"

President Joe Biden of the United States [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The United States is expected to officially announce a 'diplomatic boycott' of the Beijing Winter Olympics this week, CNN reported on the 6th (local time), citing multiple sources.

A diplomatic boycott means not sending an official delegation composed of government or political figures to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

U.S. President Joe Biden held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 15th of last month, and three days later, on the 18th, he said he was considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated at the briefing that the consideration of a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics was due to concerns over human rights practices in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

If the United States, as a leader of the Western world, decides on a diplomatic boycott, it could serve as a guideline for the Western bloc centered on Europe, potentially leading to a chain of diplomatic boycotts. In fact, Australia and the United Kingdom are reportedly considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.

In response, on the 29th of last month, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized linking Olympic participation to so-called human rights issues as politicizing sports, emphasizing that "the Beijing Winter Olympics is not a stage for political shows or political manipulation."

The United States completely boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980, during the U.S.-Soviet Cold War era, under former President Jimmy Carter, citing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At that time, more than 60 Western countries, including West Germany and Japan, joined in and did not participate in the Moscow Olympics.