G7 nations split over diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics; France defies fellow members

G7 countries, which includes the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy Japan, and the United States, as well as the European Union, are divided over boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 as France defied other member nations on Thursday, announcing that it will send high-level officials to this winter's Beijing Olympics, as per the reports of Kyodo News.

Recently, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada launched diplomatic boycotts. The split occurred when France's Education Minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer stated that sports is a world in itself that must be protected from political influence.

The G7 countries may tackle the issue during a conference of foreign ministers this weekend in Liverpool, England. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday at a parliamentary session in Tokyo that he will determine whether to send officials to the Beijing Olympics, which are scheduled to take place from February 4 to February 20.

According to Kyodo News, he also stated that he will make a judgement at the right time after thoroughly considering numerous concerns in the context of national interest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces boycott

After US President Joe Biden made his country's stance public on Monday that they will boycott the Beijing Olympics, citing alleged human rights violations in China's far-western Xinjiang province, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced the same on Wednesday.

Trudeau said that his country is deeply concerned by the Chinese government's recurrent breaches of human rights and that Canada will not be sending any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympics. However, he said that Canadian athletes will still be supported if they chose to compete.

The US stated that they would leave it up to allies to make their own decisions on the topic, according to Kyodo News. Relations between China and the United States, as well as some US allies, have been strained in recent months, owing to Beijing's increased aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific area, among other factors.

China's Embassy in Canada criticises the decision

China's Embassy in Canada stated that Canada and a few other Western countries have engaged in political manoeuvring based on ideological biases as well as lies and rumours. The embassy further said that the use of the Olympics for political manipulation by the US, Australia, the UK, and Canada are controversial, according to Kyodo News.

Image: AP