The United States will not be sending any diplomatic representatives to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In an announcement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday, she said the administration is doing so to make a statement against human rights abuses that are taking place in China.
Psaki said the administration was sending a "clear message" that the human rights abuses in China are a serious matter.
"The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics games given the PRC's ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang," Psaki said on Monday.
This decision from the White House does not affect American athletes. Even there won't be any diplomatic representatives "contributing to the fanfare of the Games" in Beijing, Team USA athletes will still be permitted to participate and have the administration's "full support."
"US diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC's egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can't do that," Psaki added.
She also stated that the White House has informed its allies of their decision to hold a diplomatic boycott and said that "obviously we will leave it to them to make their own decisions."
As CNN reported, the U.S.' delegation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics -- which took place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic -- featured first lady Jill Biden.
The Beijing Olympics are slated to begin on Feb. 4 and run through Feb. 20.
