US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for a “diplomatic boycott” of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing by the U.S. and global leaders, amid mounting outcry over China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.
“For heads of state to go to China, in light of a genocide that is ongoing – while you’re sitting there in your seat – really begs the question, what moral authority do you have to speak again about human rights any place in the world?” Pelosi asked a bipartisan congressional hearing, Reuters reported.
“Let’s not honor the Chinese government by having heads of state go to China,” she said.
In response, speaking to Reuters, Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said any US attempt to use the Olympics to interfere in China’s domestic affairs was bound to fail.
“I wonder what makes some U.S. politicians think they actually have the so-called ‘moral authority’? On human rights issues, they are in no position, either historically or currently, to make wanton groundless criticism against China,” he added.
U.S. lawmakers have increasingly called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics or a change of venue over alleged human rights abuses of Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, a charge that China has vehemently denied.
While some lawmakers have even called out American corporations for their silence on the issue, a coalition of human rights activists has appealed to athletes to boycott the Games.
Barring U.S. athletes from the Games is “certainly not the answer”, said Sarah Hirshland, chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
“Past Olympic boycotts have failed to achieve political ends,” she added.
A senior official said the U.S. government’s position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed. U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has said it is considering a joint approach with allies on China’s human rights record, including participation in the February Olympics.
