Australia joins US diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
Australia will not send officials to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the event and risking a further souring of relations with China.
AL Jazeera reported, that United States announced its boycott on Monday, citing China’s human rights “atrocities”, fuelling anger in China, which warned of “resolute countermeasures” in response.
Morrison said Wednesday’s decision came because of Australia’s struggles to reopen diplomatic channels with China to discuss alleged human rights abuses in the far western region of Xinjiang and Beijing’s moves against Australian imports.
“Australian government officials (will), therefore, not be going to China for those games. Australian athletes will, though,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney.