US diplomats to boycott 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

BEIJING: China will take "countermeasures" in protest against a planned U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Olympics if necessary, Beijing’s foreign ministry said.

The Biden administration is expected to announce on Monday that U.S. government officials will not attend the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, a source familiar with the situation said Monday.

The diplomatic boycott, which has been encouraged by some members of the U.S. Congress for weeks, would not affect American athletes.

U.S. President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering such a diplomatic boycott to protest China’s human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against minority Muslims.

However, The White House and State Department declined to comment.