China described as a “farce” on Thursday the decision of Canada and the United Kingdom to join Washington’s diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Beijing is not worried that the absence of the dignitaries could set off a chain reaction, as many heads of state, heads of government and members of royal families have registered to attend, said the spokesperson for the ministry of Foreign Affairs Wang Wenbin to reporters at a daily press briefing.
The three countries, along with Australia, have said they will not send government dignitaries to the Games February 4-20 to protest human rights abuses in China. New Zealand said it had informed Beijing earlier that it would not send any dignitaries due to travel restrictions linked to the pandemic, but said it has also raised human rights concerns.
Despite the diplomatic boycott, countries will still send their athletes to compete.
Mr. Wang said that China has not sent any invitations to the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom and that “it doesn’t matter whether their dignitaries come or not, they will see the success of the Winter Olympics. from Beijing ”.
“Sport has nothing to do with politics,” Wang said. “They are the ones who wrote, directed and performed this farce. “
China is not only convinced that there will be no chain reaction, but also perceives overwhelming global support for the Games, he said.
“Right now, many heads of state, heads of government and members of the royal family have registered to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, and we welcome them,” Wang said. .
China has pledged to respond to the United States with “firm countermeasures” over the boycott, but has given no details on how it plans to retaliate.
“Genocide” in Xinjiang
Human rights groups have called for a total boycott of the Beijing Winter Games, citing human rights violations by China against its Uyghur minority in the northwestern Xinjiang region, which some described as genocide. They also highlight Beijing’s suppression of democratic protests in Hong Kong and a radical crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous territory.
Canada’s move came as no surprise amid the sharp deterioration in bilateral relations since China arrested two Canadians in December 2018, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou , Chief Financial Officer of Huawei Technologies and daughter of the company’s founder, following a US extradition request.
Canada and others condemned what they called the “hostage policy,” while China described the accusations against Huawei and Ms. Meng as a politically motivated attempt to curb economic and technological development in China. China.
China, the United States and Canada concluded what was essentially a prisoner swap earlier this year, but the reputation of the Chinese government has been severely tarnished in Canada.