U.S. mulls Beijing 2022 boycott due to human rights abuses
The United States will seek input from other countries about a possible joint boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing over human rights violations in China.
"It is something that we certainly wish to discuss," State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday, according to Amanda Macias of CNBC. Price added, "A coordinated approach will not only be in our interest but also in the interest of our allies and partners."
The potential pushback comes years after human rights groups began shining a light on the treatment of Uyghurs - a Muslim population - in China. Uyghurs reside primarily in the northwest part of the country.
President Joe Biden's administration, along with that of predecessor Donald Trump, has referred to China's treatment of Uyghurs as a genocide. Last week's annual State Department report on human rights said China is responsible for "genocide and crimes against humanity," according to USA Today's Deirdre Shesgreen. "The document cites Beijing's 'mass detention' of the Uyghurs, as well as evidence of forced sterilization, rape, torture, and forced labor," Shesgreen wrote. The U.S. has also been critical of other actions by the Chinese government, including its treatment of Taiwan.
Price said the U.S. has not made a firm decision on whether to boycott the 2022 Beijing Games, which are scheduled to begin Feb. 4.
The U.S. boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics, which took place in Moscow while the U.S. and the Soviet Union were mired in the Cold War.