White House Asserts US 'Not Discussing' Beijing Olympics Boycott

U.S. is not in talks with its allies over boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to alleged human rights abuses, the White House asserted on Wednesday.

“Our position on the 2022 Olympics has not changed. We have not discussed and are not discussing any joint boycott with allies and partners,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Concerns over a possible multi-country snub of the 2022 Olympic Games rose after US State Department spokesman Ned Price indicated Tuesday that Washington was discussing whether to skip the Olympics in Beijing as part of a boycott with allies.

Furthermore, some Republicans have called on the Biden administration to boycott the Winter Olympics , that are scheduled to take place between Feb. 4 and Feb. 20, over China’s treatment of Uighurs and its crackdown on rights in Hong Kong.

Last month, the US sanctioned two Chinese officials due to their roles in serious human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

Beijing has previously rejected U.S.  accusations that it has committed genocide against the Uyghurs, a Muslim population indigenous to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

The Foreign Ministry called such claims “malicious lies” designed to “smear China” and “frustrate China’s development.”