Staff members work near the emblem for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics displayed at the Shanghai Sports Museum in Shanghai, China, December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song
December 8, 2021
By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada will join its allies in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing to send China a message over its human rights record, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday.
Australia and Britain will join the diplomatic boycott, their prime ministers said on Wednesday, as other allies weighed similar moves to protest at China’s human rights record..
President Joe Biden’s administration cited what the United States calls genocide against minority Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. China denies all rights abuses.
“Many partners around the world are extremely concerned by the repeated human rights violations by the Chinese government. That’s why we are announcing today that we will not be sending any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympics,” Trudeau told reporters.
Athletes from countries taking part in the diplomatic boycott will still compete in the Games in February, and Trudeau said the Canadian contingent would have Ottawa’s full support.
Canada, which already has poor relations with China, is one of the world’s leading winter sporting nation. It came third in the medal rankings at the 2018 Games in South Korea.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa was not immediately available for comment.
“We have been very clear over the past many years of our deep concerns around human rights violations and this is a continuation of us expressing our deep concerns,” said Trudeau.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Canada needed to send a strong message to Beijing.
Earlier this week the head of the official opposition Conservatives urged the Liberal government to join the boycott, accusing Trudeau of taking too soft a line with China.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Mark Heinrich by Alistair Bell and David Gregorio)
Source: One America News Network
