China announces "concrete action" in response to US boycott
China has strongly condemned the US diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China would take "concrete retaliatory measures" but did not elaborate.
The United States said on Monday it would not send its diplomats to Beijing because of concerns over the human rights situation in China. But the statement also said that "athletes" could go to Beijing to participate in the Games and would receive full government support.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, the State Department spokesman accused the United States of violating the principle of political neutrality in world sports, saying the proposed boycott was based on lies and rumors.
''Tensions between the two countries are running high''.
The United States has accused China of oppressing and genociding the Uighur Muslim minority in western Xinjiang. China strongly denies the allegations.
There are many other issues between China and the United States. These include the suppression of the political liberation movement in Hong Kong by state repression. There is also the case of Chinese tennis player Ping Sui disappearing from the scene. Ping Sui has accused a government official of raping her, but she has not been seen since.
The International Women's Tennis Association last week announced the suspension of all tennis tournaments in China, raising doubts about the safety of Ping Sui.
Political
The Olympics are attended by top officials from most countries of the world, including the United States. Earlier this year, the US delegation led by Oral Jill Biden at the Winter Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
But on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jan Paki said the United States would not share in the "joys" of the Olympic Games.
He said that not sending an official delegation to the 2022 Winter Games would send a clear message.
He said,''America's diplomatic and official participation in these games will make it clear that the tragic human rights violations and atrocities in Xinjiang do not matter and that things are going as usual''.
"We can't do that," he added.
But he said the US government understands that players who have been preparing for the occasion for a long time should not pay the price.
The search, titled "US boycott" of Chinese social media platform Weibo, was being censored until Tuesday morning.
Comments on the news of the US announcement on the state-run news agency Global Times were also deleted and only eight out of more than one and a half thousand views on the news were allowed to remain.
One reader commented, "The Olympics are for athletes and what does that have to do with politicians?" "Even if you boycott, you are only harming the people of your own country."
Multi-party support
China's diplomatic boycott in the United States has been backed by both the ruling Democrats and Republicans.
Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that the United States and the world cannot participate in the Olympics by turning a blind eye to the country in which the massacre is taking place.
Some veteran politicians say a diplomatic boycott alone is not enough. Republican Senator Tom Cotton said the move by the government was half-hearted and the administration should have boycotted the games altogether.
Other countries, including Canada, have indicated they will do the same.
British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Robb has said his country will announce a boycott soon. He also said that he would personally participate in these games. Officials in Australia and Japan also say they are considering it.
Lithuania announced its boycott of the Winter Olympics last week after China decided to reduce its diplomatic ties with Lithuania over differences over Taiwan.
Beijing claims Taiwan as its share, but insists Taiwan is a separate country. New Zealand, meanwhile, said its officials would not attend because of the code.
New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson told reporters that his country had informed China of its concerns about Xinjiang on several occasions.
The Biden administration's boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics is far less severe than its earlier decision to stay out of the Moscow Olympics in 1980. At that time, due to Russia's invasion of Afghanistan, the United States did not even send its athletes to the Olympics. In response, four years later, Russia and its allies did not participate in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
A Kremlin spokesman has condemned the US boycott, saying "sports should be kept out of politics." The United States is set to host the 2028 Winter Olympics in Los Angeles.