US to impose 'diplomatic boycott' of Olympics in China due to 'violations of Uyghur Muslims'

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The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the administration of President Joe Biden will impose a "diplomatic boycott" of the Winter Olympics scheduled for next February in China, in protest of human rights violations in that country.

The newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying that the White House will soon announce that the Beijing Winter Olympics will not be attended by President Biden or any other US government official, in a “diplomatic boycott” that will allow the United States to object to violations against Uyghur Muslims in China and at the same time will empower American athletes. from participating in the games.

According to the newspaper, President Biden is expected to "accept" by the end of November this option, which his advisers have officially recommended.

In response to a question about the possibility of a US boycott of these games, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday that Biden did not raise this issue with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the virtual summit that brought them together on Monday evening, without answering the content of the question.

But a number of members of Congress were quick to welcome this potential resolution, even before it was officially issued.

"I have long called for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games and I hope the government will send a strong message to the Chinese Communist Party without punishing American athletes," Republican Senator Mitt Romney said in a tweet.

In turn, Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that such a decision by the White House would be the "right choice."

In May, Democratic Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, called for a "diplomatic boycott" of the Olympic Games hosted by China, in a situation that provoked an angry reaction from the Chinese authorities.

However, a number of Republican Party hawks are calling for Biden to go further, urging him to boycott the Olympics completely, both on the diplomatic and athletic level.

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