The Biden administration has announced it will not send any officials to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in protest of human rights abuses committed by the Chinese Communist Party.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday said the US is sending a ‘clear message’ that the human rights abuses in China mean there cannot be ‘business as usual’.

‘The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics games given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,’ Psaki said.

Last month, President Joe Biden said he was considering a diplomatic boycott as China faced criticism for cracking down on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, its policies towards Tibet and Taiwan and for detaining and abusing Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang, which the US State Department has classified as genocide

Psaki added that Team USA has the administration’s ‘full support’ but that the administration would not be ‘contributing to the fanfare of the game’.

The news comes after China pledged unspecified ‘countermeasures’ against any such diplomatic boycott.

This is a breaking news story, check back for updates…

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