China says US will ‘pay the price’ for diplomatic boycott of Olympics

The United States must “pay a price” for its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China mentioned on Tuesday, simply weeks after talks aimed toward easing tense relations between the 2 sides.
The White House mentioned on Monday U.S. authorities officers would boycott the Winter Olympics due to China’s human rights “atrocities”, though U.S. athletes have been free to journey there to compete.
The U.S. boycott, inspired for months by some members of Congress and rights advocacy teams, comes regardless of an effort to stabilise ties, with a video assembly final month between U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping.
China opposes the boycott and would take “resolute countermeasures”, international ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian advised an everyday media briefing in Beijing, host metropolis of the 2008 Summer Olympics, on Tuesday.
“The United States will pay a price for its mistaken acts,” he mentioned, with out giving particulars. “Let’s all wait and see.”
The United States is ready to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and is making ready a bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Asked if China would contemplate a diplomatic boycott of Olympic Games within the United States, Zhao mentioned the usboycott had “damaged the foundation and atmosphere” of sports activities change and co-operation on the Games, which he likened to “lifting a stone to crush one’s own foot”.
He referred to as on the United States to maintain politics out of sports activities, saying the boycott went towards Olympic ideas.
Chinese media and students criticised the U.S. choice.
“It is foolish and silly of the United States to do this,” Wang Wen, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing, advised Reuters, including that different main powers may do the identical to the United States in 2028.
“For the U.S. politicians, who had not been invited (to the Games) to say they are staging a diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics, that’s just ‘proffering unreciprocated love’,” state information company Xinhua mentioned in a commentary.
Many Chinese web customers reacted to information of U.S. boycott with expressions of “good riddance”.
“Please don’t come, don’t bring the COVID virus variant here,” a consumer who calls herself “Thales Beauty” commented on-line.
Biden’s administration highlighted as the explanation for its boycott what Washington calls genocide towards minority Muslims in China’s far western area of Xinjiang.
China denies all rights abuses.
OTHER COUNTRIES UNDECIDED
“U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can’t do that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned on Monday, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
“The athletes on Team USA have our full support,” Psaki added at a media briefing. “We will be behind them 100% as we cheer them on from home.”
George W. Bush was the final U.S. president to attend a Games opening ceremony, as host at Salt Lake City in 2004. Vice President Mike Pence attended the 2018 Winter Games within the South Korean resort of Pyeongchang.
It was unclear if different nations would be a part of the United States, though U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had mentioned allies have been consulted on a “shared approach”.
Canada’s international ministry mentioned it “remains deeply disturbed by the troubling reports of human rights violations in China” and continues to debate the matter with companions and allies.
Australia, Britain and Japan have mentioned they’re additionally nonetheless contemplating their positions.
New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, Grant Robertson, mentioned the nation wouldn’t ship authorities officers however that call was primarily based largely on COVID-19 considerations and preceded the U.S. boycott.
Last week, Stefano Sannino, chief of the European Union’s diplomatic service, mentioned boycotts have been a matter for particular person member states, not frequent EU international coverage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one chief of a serious nation who has accepted an invite.
Human rights teams welcomed the transfer, however mentioned Washington may do extra to carry China accountable.
However, some political analysts mentioned the boycott was much less a menace to the Games and extra of a problem of appearances that Beijing fuelled by threatening retaliation.
“It would have been a non-story if let alone,” mentioned Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a professor of sport administration on the George Washington University School of Business.
“We typically do not send a large government delegation anyway, especially in COVID times.”
The diplomatic boycott places company Olympic sponsors in “an awkward spot” however prompted much less concern than a full measure barring athletes, mentioned Neal Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports who has overseen Olympics broadcast rights offers.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price advised reporters the federal government wouldn’t dictate personal sector practices, however mentioned companies needs to be “fully cognizant” of occasions in Xinjiang.
A spokesperson from Comcast-owned NBC Universal mentioned it will broadcast the Games as deliberate.