Democratic and Republican lawmakers have advocated for such a diplomatic boycott in protest of human rights abuses in China.
The administration of US President Joe Biden is weighing how to approach the next Winter Olympics that will take place in Beijing, which includes the possibility of promoting a diplomatic boycott, although it has not yet made a final decision on the matter, local media report.
According to CNN, which cites sources related to this decision that it does not identify, the issue was not discussed at the virtual summit held on Monday by Biden and his Chinese colleague Xi Jinping, US officials said after the meeting.
The Washington Post indicates that Biden is expected to soon approve a recommendation not to send US officials to the games. Normally, the White House sends a delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, have advocated for this diplomatic boycott in protest of human rights abuses in China, local media recall.
And even some Republicans have insisted on this issue and have defended that American athletes do not attend the winter games either.
The White House, however, on Tuesday refused to comment on whether it was planned to boycott the next Chinese games, the second to be held in Beijing.
“I have nothing to add on that subject. But I can tell you that it was not part of the (Biden and Xi) conversation,” Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Last week, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, specified that the United States and its allies are in “active talks” on how to approach the next Winter Olympics in China, recalls CNN.
The games will be held between February 4 and 20 in the Chinese capital. (I)
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