US Officially Announces Boycott of Beijing Olympics

White House "Delegation Not Attending... Athletes Allowed"
President Moon's Proposal for a Declaration of the End of War Likely to Fail

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondents Baek Jong-min and Yoo In-ho] The United States officially announced a diplomatic boycott by not sending a delegation to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to be held in China next year. As US-China tensions show signs of escalating further, this is expected to have a significant impact on the South Korean government's plan to pursue a declaration of the end of the war using the Olympics as an opportunity.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on the 6th (local time), "The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official delegation to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, considering China's ongoing genocide, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations in Xinjiang." The US government has allowed its athletes to participate.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Psaki explained that not sending a delegation is a message to China that the US cannot act as usual. She also emphasized that China must take measures regarding these issues to meet the demands of the international community.

The diplomatic boycott policy was announced ahead of the 'Summit for Democracy' hosted by President Biden on the 9th-10th with about 110 countries participating. The New York Times reported that the disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai after accusing high-ranking officials of sexual assault further fueled demands for an Olympic diplomatic boycott.

The US also hopes for allied countries to join. Psaki said the US informed its allies of the diplomatic boycott decision and that whether to join the boycott is up to each country, but Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez stated, "We hope other allies will join the diplomatic boycott." The UK, Canada, and Australia are already known to be considering a diplomatic boycott.

In diplomatic circles, there is speculation that the multilateral declaration of the end of the war involving South Korea, North Korea, the US, and China, planned by President Moon Jae-in for the Olympics in February next year, will be derailed. Since key parties, including President Biden, will not attend Beijing, the multilateral declaration itself has become impossible.

China strongly protested and warned of retaliation. Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing the day before, "The US diplomatic boycott not only undermines the Olympic spirit but also insults 1.4 billion Chinese people and people worldwide," warning that "China will resolutely counterattack."

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