Beijing slammed U.S. calls for a diplomatic boycott of its 2022 Winter Games as a smear that will fall short, according to state media.
“The remarks of a few U.S. individuals are full of lies and false information. It is a typical U.S. farce and is doomed to fail,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in a report by Xinhua — a press agency linked to the communist government.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said U.S. athletes should be celebrated when they return from the February Olympics, but it would be inappropriate to send dignitaries to the ceremonies, given the detention of Muslim Uyghurs in western China and crackdowns in Tibet and Hong Kong.
She spoke at a hearing co-chaired by Reps. Chris Smith, New Jersey Republican, and Jim McGovern, Massachusetts Democrats, who said the International Olympic Committee should find a new city for the games.
State media reported that Mr. Zhao described the comments as a political trick designed to disrupt the Games. He also said the Olympics must be politically neutral out of respect for the athletes.
U.S. critics of the Beijing games say arguments about political neutrality are misplaced.
The lawmakers say they are talking about basic human rights violations in Xinjiang and elsewhere, not politics, and awarding high-profile showcases to strongmen like Xi Jinping will only encourage bad behavior.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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