Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, speaks throughout the North American Leaders’ Summit within the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021.
Chris Kleponis | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Canada will be part of its allies in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February to ship China a message over its human rights file, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned on Wednesday.
Australia and Britain will be part of the diplomatic boycott, their prime ministers mentioned on Wednesday, as different allies weighed related strikes to protest at China’s human rights file. China denies all rights abuses.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration cited what the United States calls genocide in opposition to minority Muslims in China’s Xinjiang area. China denies all rights abuses.
“Many partners around the world are extremely concerned by the repeated human rights violations by the Chinese government. That’s why we are announcing today that we will not be sending any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympics,” Trudeau instructed reporters.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada in a written assertion accused Trudeau of constructing false claims.
“Based on ideological biases as well as lies and rumors, Canada and a handful of western countries have been flagrantly engaged in political maneuvering, with the attempt to disrupt the smooth progress of Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Their clumsy performance can hardly find any support and is doomed to fail,” the spokesperson mentioned.
Athletes from nations collaborating within the diplomatic boycott will nonetheless compete within the Games and Trudeau mentioned the Canadian contingent would have Ottawa’s full assist.
Canada, which has seen relations with China deteriorate lately, is likely one of the world’s main winter sporting nations. It completed third within the medal rankings on the 2018 Games in South Korea.
“We have been very clear over the past many years of our deep concerns around human rights violations and this is a continuation of us expressing our deep concerns,” Trudeau mentioned.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly mentioned Canada wanted to ship a powerful message to Beijing.
Earlier this week the pinnacle of the official opposition Conservatives urged the Liberal authorities to hitch the boycott, accusing Trudeau of taking too delicate a line with China.Â
Disclosure: CNBC dad or mum NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games by way of 2032.
