Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said that Australia will not send officials to the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing, joining the US President's diplomatic boycott of the event. Morrison also said that the decision comes amid several ongoing disagreements between Canberra and Beijing, including Australia's foreign interference laws and a recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Key Points
1. Australia's decision comes a day after US President Joe Biden announced its diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday. The decision by the United States was taken over what Washington termed as China's genocide of the Uyghur minority and other human rights abuses.
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2. Morrison said Australia's decision was also taken to protest against the human rights violations in China in the Xinjiang region and also due to Beijing's unwillingness to meet Australian officials for talks "There's been no obstacle to that occurring on our side, but the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about these issues," he said.
3. Several Australian goods are subjected to Chinese sanctions which were introduced over the last two years. Like Australia, China has also been angered by Canberra's decision to bar Huawei from 5G contracts and to call for an independent investigation regarding the origins of the coronavirus.
4. "Australia will not step back from the strong position we've had standing up for Australia's interests, and obviously, it is of no surprise that we wouldn't be sending Australian officials to those Games," the Australian prime minister said.
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5. China's foreign ministry has also said that no one cares whether individual politicians come to the Beijing Winter Olympics or not, according to a report by Reuters.
