Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirms that they will not attend the Beijing Winter Olympics. Joining the United States in a diplomatic boycott of next year’s Games in protest of China’s alleged human rights violations. At a news conference in Sydney, the Australian Prime Minister stated that “human rights abuses and issues in Xinjiang” were among the issues raised by the Australian government with Beijing.
I am very happy to talk to the Chinese government about these issues
“I am very happy to talk to the Chinese government about these issues. And there has been no obstacle to that occurring on our side. But the Chinese government has consistently not taken those opportunities to meet with us about those issues,” he adds. Activists have been calling for a boycott of the Games for months. Certainly in response to the Chinese government’s human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet. As well as its political crackdown in Hong Kong. The US and other Western nations have accused Beijing of imprisoning over a million Muslim-majority Uyghurs in Xinjiang detention centers. Where some former detainees claim they were tortured, raped, or sterilized.
The Chinese embassy in Australia however criticized Canberra’s decision to boycott the Games on Wednesday. Saying it would aggravate already strained relations between the two countries. “As we all know, the blame for the current predicament of China-Australia relations lies squarely on the Australian side,” the statement informs. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) certainly stated in January that awarding a country the Games did not imply support for their “human rights standards,” activists claimed that awarding the high-profile event to China gave the ruling Communist Party more legitimacy. Morrison’s announcement follows the Biden administration’s decision on Monday not to send an official US delegation to the Games. Making the United States the first country to confirm a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be in Los Angeles, California. However, the 2032 Games will be in Brisbane, Australia.