The diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is escalating. Like the United States, Australia will not send any diplomatic representatives there, its prime minister said on Wednesday. “Australia will not go back on the firm position it adopted to defend its interests”, also assured Scott Morrison.
Canberra’s move comes amid “disagreement” with China over a number of issues, including Australia’s foreign interference laws and the recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Premier said. Minister. This choice, which does not prevent athletes from participating in the Games, comes the day after a similar decision by the United States motivated by the defense of human rights.
Scott Morrison also said human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and Beijing’s reluctance to meet with Australian officials for talks were the reason for his decision. “The Chinese government has never accepted that we meet to discuss these issues,” he said.
A trade war
Tensions, especially trade, between Australia and China have not stopped growing since 2018, marked by a freeze of diplomatic relations at the highest level for two years. China has been particularly irritated by Australian decisions regarding foreign interference, the ban on 5G contracts to Huawei and the request for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Barley, coal, copper ore, cotton, hay, lobsters, sugar, wine, beef, citrus fruits, grains, grapes, dairy products and even Australian infant formula have all are subject to Chinese sanctions. Australia’s decision to equip its navy with nuclear-powered submarines as part of a new defense pact with Britain and the United States, widely seen as an attempt to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific region, also aroused the ire of Beijing.
