UK joins US, Australia in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
Prime Ministers Johnson and Morrison have said they will not send government officials to the Games, citing human rights issues. China's Foreign Ministry replied that "nobody cares" if Australian officials are there.
Diplomatic ties between Australia and China have
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday that British officials would "effectively" boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics.
"There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, no ministers are expected to attend and no officials," Johnson said, adding, however, that athletes would still compete in the Games.
"I do not think that sporting boycotts are sensible and that remains the policy of the government," Johnson said.
The UK joined a growing list of countries refusing to send diplomats to the Games. Earlier on Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that
government officials from his country would not attend the Beijing Olympics, joining the
US in a diplomatic boycott of the premier global sporting event.
Morrison said China had not addressed concerns raised by the Australian government on several fronts, including over human rights abuses.
"Australia will not step back from the strong position we've had standing up for Australia's interests," Morrison told reporters in Sydney.
"It is not surprising, therefore, that Australian government officials would not be going to China" for the Olympic Games, he said.
Morrison also added the caveat Australian athletes will compete in the Games.
US announces diplomatic boycott of 2022 Beijing Olympics
Tense times for China ties
In announcing the boycott, Morrison said the decision was due to difficulties in reopening diplomatic channels to Beijing,
human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Beijing's moves against Australian imports.
Australian leaders have been
confined to the use of diplomatic channels as Chinese officials refuse to directly discuss sensitive topics of concern.
Morrison's decision to have the country join the US in a boycott of the Beijing Olympics has the potential to further strain Australian-Chinese relations. China is Australia's largest trading partner.
Relations are similarly strained between China and the UK, due in particular to Beijing tightening its grip on Hong Kong, a former British colony, as well as Chinese criticism of how the BBC covered Taiwanese athletes at the recent Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
China: 'Nobody cares' if Australian officials attend Games
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Australia was "blindly following" the US in announcing a diplomatic boycott, adding "whether they come or not, nobody cares."
Chinese officials added that the decision did not chime with past Australian statements that Canberra hoped for an improvement in relations.
"As everyone knows, Australia is solely responsible for the current plight of Sino-Australia relations," said a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in the Australian capital. "Australia's decision not to send officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics runs counter to its public statements of so-called hopes that China-Australia relations could improve."
Relations took a downturn in 2018 when
Canberra blocked Huawei from the country's 5G broadband network.
Relations took another hit after Australia called for an independent investigation into the origin of COVID-19.
In response, Beijing imposed tariffs on several Australian coal, beef, barley and wine.
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