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Allies are split on Biden’s boycott of Beijing Olympics
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WASHINGTON, 27 December 2021, (TON): The Biden administration’s diplomatic boycott of Beijing’s winter Olympics is already showing signs of being a limited success.
The effort, aimed at allowing athletes to compete while protesting China’s human rights abuses, has garnered the support of lawmakers in both parties, human rights groups and key U.S. allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
But support is far from universal.
France is sending diplomats to Beijing, saying it opposes using sports competitions to highlight concerns over human rights, such as Beijing’s genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, suppression of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong and cultural repression in Tibet.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) criticized France’s refusal to join the boycott, while speaking on the Senate floor on December 15.
The senator said “it is not too late to call out the serious, egregious conduct occurring in China.”
“France, join us, as you have over time, in standing for human rights.”
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