The Federal Minister of the Interior and the Federal Foreign Minister will not travel to China for the Winter Olympics.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), who is responsible for sport, “decided for herself not to travel to Beijing for pandemic reasons,” said a spokesman in Berlin on Wednesday.
Several partner countries, above all the United States, had previously announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games because of political differences with China.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office quoted Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) as saying: “I'm a big sports fan, but I will definitely not go to the Olympics during this time.
That was not usual for foreign ministers in the past either. "
Reference to ongoing coordination processes
It was still unclear on Wednesday whether Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will pay a visit to the sporting event in the People's Republic in February.
Vice government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner referred to ongoing coordination processes with EU partners.
Minister Baerbock takes a tougher stance against China on human rights issues than the previous German government.
The US, Australia, the UK and Canada had already announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games in February.
This means that athletes from these countries can take part in the games, but that no politicians will come to visit.
The sense of a diplomatic boycott is being discussed within the EU.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, has stated that he considers such an approach to be ineffective.