Xi Expected to Be Invited to Olympics... 'Dilemma' for Biden

US Media: "President Xi to Invite Biden to Olympics at Next Week's Virtual Summit"
Biden Faces Domestic Criticism if Accepted, US-China Conflict Escalates if Declined
US Finds It Difficult to Form Unified Stance with Allies

Chinese President Xi Jinping is delivering a speech at the 6th Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party, which resumed on the 11th in Beijing. On the final day of the 6th Plenary Session, the "Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party's 100 Years of Struggle" (Historical Resolution) was reviewed and adopted. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Reports have emerged that Chinese President Xi Jinping will invite U.S. President Joe Biden to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Amid calls to boycott the Olympics due to China's human rights issues, concerns are rising that China is proactively responding in a way that could put pressure on President Biden.

On the 11th (local time), CNBC cited two sources reporting that President Xi will invite President Biden to next year's Winter Olympics during a virtual U.S.-China summit scheduled for the 15th.

This virtual summit was expected to serve as an opportunity to ease the frosty relations between the two countries since the Biden administration took office, but the Olympics have emerged as a 'hot potato' and a source of conflict.

American civic groups and political figures have advocated for the U.S. to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. Politicians across party lines, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, have argued that the U.S. should boycott the Olympics in protest of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region.

U.S. President Joe Biden is delivering a speech at the Veterans Day event held at Arlington National Cemetery on the 11th. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

The White House and the State Department have taken a cautious stance regarding a potential Olympic boycott. U.S. media interpret this as an effort to avoid factors that could negatively impact U.S.-China relations ahead of the first virtual summit between the two leaders.

In this context, President Xi's invitation to President Biden is interpreted as an attempt to place a burden on the U.S.

CNBC also predicted that if President Biden declines Xi's invitation, it could further freeze relations between the two countries. Conversely, if President Biden accepts, he risks criticism for contradicting his emphasis on democracy and human rights.

The White House and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment from U.S. media on this matter.

In 2013, then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are shaking hands in Beijing.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The likelihood of President Biden attending the Beijing Olympics in person has been low from the start. At last year's Tokyo Summer Olympics, First Lady Jill Biden attended. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, then-Vice President Mike Pence attended.

It is also difficult to form a 'unified front' among U.S. allies. The U.S. is reported to have discussed a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics with the Group of Seven (G7) nations.

Earlier, after State Department spokesperson Ned Price mentioned that the U.S. was discussing a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics with its allies, an anonymous official denied the statement, causing some confusion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.