President Joe Biden on Thursday confirmed reports that the United States is “considering” a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympic games in Beijing.
In a bilateral with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday afternoon, Biden said that a boycott is “something we are considering.”
News of a possible diplomatic boycott was first reported by The Washington Post earlier this week, suggesting that the United States might consider doing so in protest of human rights abuses in China.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded to questions about a possible diplomatic boycott at Thursday’s press briefing.
“There are areas that we do have concerns: Human rights abuses, you’ve seen — not just in words we’ve used, but certainly in actions we’ve taken, at the G-7 and other sanctions — that we have serious concerns about the human rights abuses we’ve seen in Xinjiang, and certainly there are a range of factors as we look at what our presence would be,” Psaki said, adding: “I don’t have any other update for you. I certainly understand the interest but I want to leave the president the space to to make decisions.
Officials confirmed that it was not discussed in President Biden’s virtual meeting with China’s President Xi last week.
“I just don’t have anything to add on that subject right now, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in response to questions from reporters on Tuesday. “But again, it was not a part of their discussion.”
Psaki reiterated Thursday that Biden’s comments about a possible diplomatic boycott do not “say anything about the meeting.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the U.S. and its allies are in “active conversations” about how to handle the 2022 Olympics.
“We are talking to, to allies, to partners, to countries around the world about how they’re thinking about the games, how they’re thinking about participation,” Blinken said at the New York Times DealBook Summit last week. “It’s an active conversation. We’re coming, we’re coming up on the games, but let me leave it at that for today.”
Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike have urged a diplomatic boycott, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
“We cannot proceed as if nothing is wrong about the Olympics going to China,” Pelosi said in May, adding: “For heads of state to go to China, in light of a genocide that is ongoing while you’re sitting there in your seats, really begs the question: What moral authority do you have to speak about human rights any place in the world if you’re willing to pay your respects to the Chinese government as they commit genocide?”
“If we don’t speak out against human rights violations in China for commercial reasons, we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights anywhere,” said Pelosi, who also advocated for then-President George W. Bush to boycott the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing over human rights abuses. (Bush attended the opening of the 2008 games.)
Republicans have even gone as far as to suggest that no American athletes should participate in the games either.
“We must boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China,” former U.N. ambassador and possible 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley wrote on Twitter in February. “It would be a terrible loss for our athletes, but that must be weighed against the genocide occurring in China and the prospect that empowering China will lead to even greater horrors down the road.”
China has denied all allegations of human rights violations against Uyghurs. The games are set to begin on Feb. 4, 2022.
This is a developing story. Check back later for further updates.
