Beijing Winter Olympics

China has lodged solemn representations with the US and will take resolute countermeasures after the White House announced a "diplomatic boycott'' of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Tuesday. 

The US is trying to disrupt the Beijing Winter Olympics out of ideological bias and based on lies and rumors. This will only make people see clearly the sinister intentions of the US and further erode its morality and credibility, Zhao said. 

"The Winter Olympics is not an arena for political show and manipulation." Zhao pointed out. In the absence of an invitation, the US linked the attendance of government officials to the so-called human rights issue. This is completely confusing right and wrong, and it is self-deception. US' political plot will not be supported and is doomed to fail, he said.

China will take resolute countermeasures against US "diplomatic boycott" of the Winter Olympics, and Washington will pay price for its mistake, Zhao said. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that the Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, citing human rights concerns and "genocide" allegation. 

Liu Pengyu, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US, tweeted that politicians' call for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics is made for their own political interests and posturing but no one cares whether they will come or not, nor will it impact the Beijing Olympics. 

The Global Times learned previously that as the host country of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China never planned to invite US and Western politicians who hype the "boycott" topic to attend the Games, and experts said that their so-called boycott is nothing but self-deception.

China aims to present "simple, safe and splendid" Olympic Games with athletes playing the main role. The success of the Beijing Winter Olympics depends on the excellent performances of the athletes and the shining of the Olympic spirits. It has nothing to do with whether some anti-China politicians from the US or Western countries will attend or not, analysts said. 

They noted that the Beijing Winter Olympics may be more extraordinary without those politicians who have done no good but to politicize the Games. The US and some Western politicians' politicization of the Olympics is what the international community should boycott. 

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound was quoted by the Politico as saying that diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Winter Games are unlikely to make much of an impact. 

According to the Politico report, Pound wondered if it can truly be considered a boycott if the host country declines to welcome those politicians in the first place. Pound added the host could just say: How could you boycott something to which you were not invited?

In response to a question on New Zealand not sending diplomatic representatives at a ministerial level to the Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhao said on Tuesday that the Beijing Winter Olympics is a grand gathering of global winter sports athletes and fans all over the world. 

"We welcome athletes from all countries, including New Zealand, to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. We hope all parties can practice the Olympic spirit of greater unity and stop politicizing sports," he responded to the press. 

New Zealand will not be sending diplomatic representatives at a ministerial level to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said on Tuesday, citing COVID-19 as the reason, and added that New Zealand's decision was communicated to China in October.