Beijing Winter Olympics: Boris Johnson confirms UK diplomatic boycott of 2022 Games
The United States government confirmed on Monday it would not be sending officials to Beijing for the 2022 Games; Boris Johnson said during PMQs: "There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, no ministers are expected to attend and no officials"
Last Updated: 08/12/21 1:50pm
Boris Johnson has confirmed there will "effectively" be a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, with no UK ministers or officials due to attend.
The White House announced on Monday that US government officials will boycott the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing over China's human rights "atrocities", but American athletes will still travel to compete.
When asked during Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday whether the UK would follow suit, Johnson said: "There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, no ministers are expected to attend and no officials."
"I do not think that sporting boycotts are sensible and that remains the policy of the government.
"The government has no hesitation in raising these issues with China, as I did with President Xi [Jinping] the last time I talked to him."
Lithuania and Australia have also followed the United States in choosing not to send government representatives to the Chinese capital for the Games which run from February 4 to 20 next year.
U.S President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering such a diplomatic boycott amid criticism of China's human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against minority Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang.
China's government have denied any wrongdoing in Xinjiang and said allegations are fabricated.
Its foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing in Beijing that Australian politicians were engaged in "political posturing", after their government announced its decision to boycott.
"Whether they come or not, nobody cares," he added.
