US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi has called for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing after criticizing China for human rights violations.
At a congressional hearing, she also posited that global leaders who attend the event would lose their moral authority.
This comes amid growing calls by US lawmakers for an Olympic boycott or venue change. They have also lashed out at American corporations, arguing that their silence, about what the State Department has deemed a genocide of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China, was aiding the Chinese government.
Pelosi, a Democrat, told the bipartisan congressional hearing that heads of state around the world should shun the Games, which are to take place in February.
“What I propose – and join those who are proposing – is a diplomatic boycott, in which lead countries of the world withhold their attendance at the Olympics.”
“Let’s not honor the Chinese government by having heads of state go to China.
“For heads of state to go to China in light of a genocide that is ongoing – while you’re sitting there in your seat – really begs the question, what moral authority do you have to speak again about human rights any place in the world?”
Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern added;that the games should be;relocated.
“If we can postpone an Olympics by a year for a pandemic, we can surely postpone the Olympics for a year for a genocide. This would give the IOC time to relocate to a country whose government is not committing atrocities.”
Corporate sponsors should be;‘held to account’
Also addressing the congressional hearing, Republican congressman, Chris Smith, said corporate sponsors should be called to testify before Congress and be “held to account”.
“Big business wants to make lots of money, and it doesn’t seem to matter;what cruelty – even genocide – that the host nation commits.”
The sentiments of the US lawmakers have been expressed;in other countries with other governments and activists calling for a boycott.
Earlier, British MPs urged athletes to boycott the event “in response to widespread human rights abuses in China”.
Also, on Tuesday, 18th May, a coalition of human rights activists called;for athletes to boycott the games and put pressure on the IOC.
Joe Biden’s administration has maintained that it hopes to develop a joint approach;with allies in regards to participation in Beijing’s Olympics.
China has been accused;of detaining Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in camps in the country’s western Xinjiang region. Beijing, however, describes the camps as vocational training centers to stamp out extremism,;and strongly rejects accusations of abuse and genocide.
Commenting on the congressional hearing, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu said that US-attempts;to interfere in China’s domestic affairs over the Olympics were;doomed to fail.
“I wonder what makes some US politicians think they actually have the so-called ‘moral authority’? On human rights issues, they are in no position, either historically or currently, to make wanton groundless criticism against China.”
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