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Australia will not send officials to the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the event.
Canberra’s decision comes amid “disagreement” with China over a slew of issues, from Australia’s foreign interference laws to a recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Morrison said.
He also cited human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and Beijing’s ongoing freeze on ministerial contact with Canberra.
“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,” he said.
The decision, which stopped short of preventing athletes from attending the 2022 Olympics, comes a day after the United States announced its diplomatic boycott.
The US decision was taken over what Washington termed China’s genocide of the Uyghur minority and other human rights abuses.
Australia’s ties with China have been in freefall in recent years, with Beijing introducing a raft of punitive sanctions on Australian goods in a fierce political dispute that has plunged relations into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
China has been angered at Australia’s willingness to legislate against overseas influence operations, to bar Huawei from 5G contracts and to call for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Great sporting nation’
A raft of Australian goods — including barley, coal, cotton, timber, rock lobsters, wine, beef, grain and dairy products — have all been subject to sanctions from its largest trading partner.
Australia’s recent move to equip its navy with nuclear-powered submarines under a new defence pact with Britain and the United States widely seen…
Source : france24
