Dec 8, 2021: Australia will not send officials to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, joining the US diplomatic boycott of the event risks further straining relations with China.

The United States on Monday announced its boycott, citing “human rights abuses” in China, sparking outrage in China, which has warned of “strong retaliatory measures”.

The formal boycott threatens to further strain Australia’s relations with China, its largest trading partner, which has been forced to relinquish its 5G broadband network to Huawei Technologies following the introduction of foreign intervention laws by Canberra. Work was banned, and an independent inquiry into the origin of COVID-19 was called for.

The recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement has added to tensions. Morrison also cited Beijing’s reluctance to meet with Australian officials to discuss alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and the key to the boycott decision.

“There’s been no obstacle to that occurring on our side, but the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about these issues,” he said.

Beijing has imposed penalties on a number of Australian goods and products, including coal, beef, barley and alcohol. Morrison said further trade barriers would be “completely and utterly unacceptable.”

The Winter Olympics will begin in February next year. The Australian Olympic Committee said the diplomatic boycott would not affect the expected 40 Australian athletes who are ready to compete.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that his government had yet to decide whether delegates would attend the Games.

The right-wing Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that officials were considering a limited official presence that would prevent a full diplomatic boycott. New Zealand had earlier said its government representatives would not attend, citing the corona virus pandemic.

Stay tuned to BaaghiTV for latest news and Updates!

Malaysian appeals court upholds former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s corruption conviction