Australia joins list too! Announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Games

Canberra, December 08: Following the footsteps of the United States, now Australia too has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over concerns about human rights abuses in China. Australia took this decision amid its worsening diplomatic ties with China.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said Australian government officials wouldn’t attend the Games, citing discord between the countries as well as China’s campaign of forcible assimilation against religious minorities in the country.

 

Morrison said that this decision should come as "no surprise" that their diplomats and politicians would boycott the event, citing the breakdown in the ties with China. He said that human rights abuses in Xinjiang as one of the factors of the diplomatic boycott. "I'm doing it because it's in Australia's national interest," he said. "It's the right thing to do."

 

 

He said Australian athletes would still be able to compete. The Australian Olympic Committee said the boycott would have no impact on athletes' preparations for the Games, adding that "diplomatic options" were a matter for governments.

 

Earlier a day, the United States and New Zealand announced their diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. During the press conference, President Joe Biden’s administration announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics alleging China of committing genocide of the Uyghur minority.

 

Following the announcement, China warned the USA would have to “pay the price for its wrongdoing”. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian accused the USA of interfering with the Beijing Winter Olympics out of ideological prejudice. China accused the USA of spreading lies and rumours about China out of sinister intentions.

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