US officials will boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics over 'genocide' in Xinjiang and 'other human rights abuses'
VCG/VCG via Getty Images
- The US announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
- This means the president and US officials will not attend, but athletes can participate.
- The boycott is due to ongoing "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity," the White House said.
The White House on Monday announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, citing "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity" by the Chinese government.
"The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind them 100% as we cheer them on from home," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.
The boycott, which means the US will not send President Joe Biden or other officials to the Games, is largely symbolic but also amounts to a significant political snub that China warned would lead to retaliation.
"If the US insists in wilfully clinging to its course, China will take resolute countermeasures," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a news briefing, per Reuters.
This article is breaking and will continue to be updated.