German Foreign Minister "Will Not Attend Beijing Olympics"... Sports Minister Also to Boycott

Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] Ministers responsible for sports and diplomacy in the German government have consecutively announced that they will not attend the Beijing Winter Olympics in China scheduled for February next year. Earlier this month, the U.S. government declared a boycott of the Beijing Olympics citing China's human rights abuses, and allied countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have also declared their participation in the boycott.

According to DPA and Politico, Annalena Baerbock, Germany's Foreign Minister, stated on the 29th (local time), "I am an avid sports fan, but I will definitely not attend this Olympics." She added, "It has not been common for foreign ministers to attend in the past," and emphasized that her decision is a "personal decision" and does not represent the official stance of the German government.

Minister Baerbock explained that Germany is still seeking to coordinate a joint position with European Union (EU) partner countries regarding a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. A diplomatic boycott refers to sending athletes to the Olympics but not dispatching delegations composed of government or high-ranking political officials, thereby delivering a political message to the host country.

While the German government has shown a critical stance toward China on issues such as human rights and democracy, considering that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently expressed a desire to deepen economic relations between Germany and China to Chinese President Xi Jinping, it remains uncertain whether this will lead to a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. A spokesperson for the German government stated that Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not yet decided whether he will visit China to attend the Beijing Olympics.

On the same day, Minister Baerbock also expressed support for the European Parliament's move to ban products related to forced labor, such as cotton and clothing produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur region, from entering the EU market.

Not only Minister Baerbock but also Nancy Faeser, the Minister of the Interior and Sports in Germany, is expected not to attend the Beijing Olympics. A spokesperson for the ministry explained that Minister Faeser made this decision personally and that the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic partly influenced it. Germany has traditionally sent the Interior Minister instead of the President to the Olympics.

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