British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, says the United Kingdom, would diplomatically boycott the Winter Olympics being held in Beijing in February by not sending any ministers to the global event.
Johnson, when asked about the issue in parliament, told MPs that although he did not support “sporting boycotts”, there were no plans for government ministers to attend the games over alleged human rights abuses by China.
“There will be effectively a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing,” he said.
The UK move follows similar steps by other Western countries, with Australia who earlier today, also announced it would join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Games.
The allies have a growing discord with China over a slew of issues that have plunged relations into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
They include human rights abuses in Xinjiang and a crackdown on pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
