Politicizing Olympics Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Is Germany boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympic Games? Some Western forces are hoping so.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday that she would not attend the Beijing Olympics. "I am a big fan of sports, but I will not attend the Olympics this time. Foreign ministers have not done this before," she was quoted by German media as saying. Meanwhile, the country's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is responsible for sports, will not be present at the event either, partly because of the pandemic, according to her spokesperson.

The newly elected German chancellor is still weighing whether to attend the Beijing Games or not. But already, some Western media outlets have begun to hype that Germany and its European allies are considering an overall "diplomatic boycott," in an apparent move aimed at dragging Germany into the US-led "boycott" of the Beijing Games.

Certain Western forces are creating a "China vs rest of the world" illusion by forcing countries to isolate China. This is nothing more than self-entertainment of the Western gang. In the affairs related to China, the countries following this Western playbook are just the US and some of its lackeys. 

Xu Liang, an associate professor at the School of International Relations, Beijing International Studies University, told the Global Times that it is an inferior move for Western forces to hitch Germany onto the "boycotting Beijing Olympics" chariot at a time when Germany has just formed a new government whose foreign policy is yet to take shape.

"If they succeed in hijacking the core European country of Germany, they will do the same to other medium- and small-sized European countries. They are setting a bad example by resorting to opinion coercion and manipulation," said Xu.

The whole world is supposed to stand on the side of justice by supporting the Olympic spirit and pursuing global unity. With the incitement of some Western forces, some countries are being forced to pick a side, which means they are forced to choose confrontation and will be bound to suffer losses. Such coercion deprives them of their right to make a decision based on their own will and interests, and leaves them little room for diplomatic flexibility. 

The White House first announced that it would not send diplomats or officials to the Beijing Games, and has incited its allies and partners to follow suit. But at the same time, it applied for visas for its officials to come to China.  

Such twisted maneuvers are self-contradictory and self-humiliating. They have also left the US' lackeys in an awkward spot and flurried. Western media and some other forces attempting to rope in more countries to "boycott" the Beijing Games only look petty and despicable. 

The US' clamor for an "Olympic boycott" sends the world a clear message of its helplessness and lack of capability. From the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics to the upcoming 2022 Winter Games, China has become the driving force of the world economy and a responsible player in world affairs, backed by its growing economic and military strength and confidence. In the wake of China's rise, the declining strength of the West is making it anxious. 

The core of Western philosophy is binary opposition. This is deeply embedded in the West's dealings with China over the years. Using coercion rather than moral appeal, Western forces are forcing certain countries to stand on the opposite side of China and on the opposite side of justice. But in the end, they are only coercing themselves and leading themselves to an impasse.