UK approves parliamentary motion to boycott Winter Olympics to be hosted by China next year

London, July 16: In a major development, the British Parliament has voted unanimously to stage a diplomatic boycott over the Winter Olympics that China will be hosting in Beijing next year.

 

 

 

In an early Friday morning session, the MPs in House of Commons called on the British government to not send any representatives to the Olympics, members of the royal family, diplomats or any other VIPs.

 

 

The motion was brought by Tim Loughton, a Conservative MP and member of the global Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China which was formed by MPs around the world as a result of Beijing’s economic bullying of Australia. He said, "Only a diplomatic boycott will stop the Chinese Communist Party from scoring "the major soft power victory they crave." He was one of several British and European MPs recently sanctioned by China.

 

 

Afzal Khan, MP for Manchester Gorton also said, "A diplomatic boycott will ensure the Chinese government cannot use the #Beijing2022 Olympics to "detract from criticism of its human rights abuses and oppressive policies." Khan called on the UK govt. to push for unfettered access for Xinjiang investigations.

 

 

The Commons has previously voted to affirm China’s Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang was being subjected to genocide. More than 1 million Uighurs are estimated to have been detained in camps. The move comes as there has been several human rights abuses reported in China for many years.