KAOHSIUNG (Taiwan News) — It was confirmed on Monday (Dec. 6) the United States will stage a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing to protest the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) myriad human rights abuses.
On Tuesday (Dec. 7), Australia confirmed that it too would send no diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympics, followed by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirming there were no plans for officials to attend. Later the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed this, adding the decision will “come as no surprise to China."
And what of Taiwan (or Chinese Taipei, as the handful of Taiwanese competitors will have to compete as)? Our government’s position at the moment is no comment.
Given that most Taiwanese government officials are officially persona non grata in China, this seems a sensible stance. There is no point in prodding a wounded bear.
The response from CCP mouthpiece the Global Times was predictably childish: “To be honest, Chinese are relieved to hear the news,” its editorial whined after Biden confirmed the U.S. boycott. “The fewer U.S. officials come, the fewer viruses will be brought in.”
A spokesman from China's foreign ministry accused the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada of using “the Olympics platform for political manipulation.” It then threatened that “they will have to pay the price for their mistaken acts.”
Red-faced
Let’s be clear, this is no mistake. This is democratic countries around the world sending a clear message to the CCP that its human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and elsewhere will no longer be tolerated.
The CCP’s petty statements are aimed at a domestic audience as it tries to explain away the embarrassment this diplomatic snub causes them. The Beijing Winter Olympics, like the 2008 Summer Olympics before it, was supposed to be a platform for China to demonstrate its power and influence by saying "The world is coming to us."
Except it isn’t anymore. A few Western countries plan to attend as things stand. French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu is still slated to turn up, but this could change.
It is perfectly conceivable that the VIP box in Beijing will be packed with the world’s worst authoritarians and dictators, while any leader with democratic legitimacy stays away.
The CCP will doubtless brush this off with more threats and minor economic reprisals, but it will be a massive PR disaster for one organization, the International Olympic Committee (IOC). And this is no more than it deserves.
Cold War
Only last week, IOC Chair Thomas Bach shamefully stepped in to try and help the CCP cover up the suppression of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. He did so by taking part in a staged and wholly unconvincing video conference with her.
Beijing 2022 looks set to be the "authoritarian Olympics," which is not a good look for any organization, especially one that claims to be apolitical.
If the IOC had any scruples, it too would be taking a stand and removing the Winter Olympics from China until its human rights record is greatly improved. But as with far too many global sporting institutions, the veil of political independence and the lure of cold, hard cash overcomes any moral objections they may have.
There has been much talk over the past 12 months about whether the world is edging toward a new Cold War. It is perhaps fitting that it should be at a Winter Olympics that the battle lines of such a Cold War are drawn.
But let’s be clear. A diplomatic boycott is the bare minimum that all democratic countries should be doing.
A full sporting boycott is perhaps the only thing that might force the IOC to do the right thing and move the Winter Olympics. That is unlikely to happen, which means it will be down to individual athletes to decide whether they want to compete in Beijing and thereby implicitly condone the abuses of the CCP.
