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Updated March 17th, 2021 at 16:54 IST

US Senator suggests how Joe Biden could denounce Chinese atrocities at Beijing Olympics

US Senator Mitt Romney has urged the US government to partially boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over reports of genocide in Xinjiang.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
US
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US Senator Mitt Romney has urged the US government to partially boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over reports of genocide Uyghurs in Xinjiang and human rights violation in Hong Kong. Romney, in an opinion piece in The New York Times, suggested full economic and diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics, which according to him, would hurt the Chinese Communist regime where it pains the most. Amid demands for a full US boycott of the Beijing Olympics, Romney said the move could be “counterproductive” as it would only affect the American athletes, who have trained their entire lives for an opportunity on the international stage. 

Romney said the only “meaningful” way to denounce China’s atrocities in Xinjiang and Hong Kong would be to boycott the games economically and diplomatically. Romney suggested that American spectators, except for athletes’ family members and support staff, discard the idea of visiting China to watch the games and instead enjoy them on television. Romney suggested the move would leave China without the massive revenues that it is hoping to generate through expenses incurred by tourists during their stay in the country. 

Report confirms genocide in Xinjiang

Last month, two dozen American lawmakers, in a letter to US President Joe Joe Biden, urged not to send high-profile diplomats to the Beijing Games. Earlier this month, an exiled Uyghur activist had urged Biden to take concrete steps against China in order to prevent it from committing genocide in the northern mountains of Xinjiang, suggesting the Americans boycott the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing. 

Earlier, a report, prepared by a group of experts, held China responsible for committing genocide against the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang province. The report said that China is committing “serious and systematic atrocities” in the Xinjiang province against Uyghurs, including force serialization to “break their lineage”. The report added that the government officials often described Uyghurs with “dehumanising terms” and likened the mass detention of the minority Muslim community to “eradicating tumors”. 

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Published March 17th, 2021 at 16:54 IST

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