Insta
After US, Australia Announces Diplomatic Boycott Of Beijing Winter Olympics
Australian PM Scott Morrison
Australia has followed the United States in diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympic games being held in Beijing, the capital city of China.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday (8 December) said that his country's officials will not be attending the Beijing winter olympics.
He said it should come as "no surprise" that Australian diplomats and politicians would boycott the event, citing the breakdown in the relationship with China in recent years.
Canberra's decision comes amid “disagreement” with China over a number of issues, including Australia's foreign interference laws and a recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Morrison said, reports Hindustan Times.
Morrison said Beijing's own diplomatic freeze on Australia had also fed into the decision for officials to boycott the Games, because Australia had been unable to raise its concerns about human rights directly with Chinese leaders.
Australia's decision comes a day after the United States announced its diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing over what Washington termed China's genocide of the Uyghur minority and other human rights abuses.
"We have been .. very happy to talk to the Chinese government about these issues and there has been no obstacle to that occurring on our side," Morrison said.
"But the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about those issues," he added.
"So it's not surprising therefore that Australian government officials would not be going to China for those Games," Morrison was quoted by the ABC News.
However, Australian athletes would compete at the Games despite the diplomatic boycott.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
