SYDNEY, Dec. 8, 2021 (AFP) – Australia will not send official representatives to the upcoming Beijing-2022 Winter Olympics, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday (Tuesday, Dec. 7 in Brazil), joining the diplomatic boycott of the United States. this fact.
“Australia will not stray from its consistent position in defending Australia’s interests and it is clearly not surprising that we will not be sending Australian representatives to these games,” said Morrison, whose government maintains strong tensions with Beijing.
The prime minister explained the decision as “differences” with China on a number of issues, including Australian laws against foreign interference and the recent purchase of nuclear-powered submarines.
Thus, Australia is following in the footsteps of the United States, which announced on Monday its boycott of the Beijing Olympics, to the chagrin of the Chinese authorities.
The work does not affect the competition and does not preclude the participation of athletes from these countries.
Washington justified its decision to put human rights in the country, especially in the Xinjiang region, as it included a “genocide” against the Uyghur minority.
Morrison also cited human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Beijing’s unwillingness to meet with Australian officials as reasons for his decision.
Over the past two years, China has imposed a series of sanctions on the import of Australian goods amid a sharp political dispute that has frozen ministerial contacts between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Australia is seeking legislation against foreign influence to veto Huawei from 5G contracts and has called for independent intervention over the source of the coronavirus pandemic.
It recently signed an important military alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom, which will provide Canberra with American nuclear powered submarines.
hr / arb / jah / dbh / yow / mvv
