Boycott the Olympics: It’s China’s Responsibility To Dispel Distrust

This is an expression of strong criticism of the fact that China’s serious human rights violations have not stopped. China should take this seriously to dispel distrust.

The U.S. government has announced that it will not send a government delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics to be held next February. This is called a “diplomatic boycott.” It cites China’s crackdown on human rights in Xinjiang and other regions as the reason.

The U.S. presidential spokeswoman stressed that under these circumstances things cannot proceed as usual. She did say that the U.S. athletes will still participate in the games.

Government delegations are responsible for attending the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics to cheer on their country’s athletes and deepen friendship with the host country. The U.S. sent the first lady, Jill Biden, and others to the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

China has also been criticized for its human rights violations, including its crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong and concerns about the safety of a female professional tennis player who accused the former vice prime minister of sexual misconduct. In the U.S., hard-line arguments against China have been growing, and some have demanded that the athletes not participate in the Olympics.

The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden, which emphasizes human rights, probably decided that it needed to send a firm message to China while respecting the position of the athletes who had prepared for the Olympics.

China has reacted strongly and is prepared to take countermeasures. The idea of gathering the heads of state and ministers of various countries at the Beijing Olympics to demonstrate China’s presence at home and abroad may be going awry.

What has brought about this situation is China’s refusal to disclose information, simply refuting accusations of human rights oppression as “fabrications.”

The U.S. government has pointed out that more than one million Uighurs, a Muslim minority, are being detained in facilities in Xinjiang and are being tortured, forced to work and abused.

The U.S. and European governments and parliaments have recognized that the crackdown is a form of genocide and have called for a United Nations investigation team to be sent to the region to clarify the actual situation.

Respect for human rights is a universal value enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and China has endorsed this. It is incomprehensible that China is refusing to allow the U.N. to investigate and monitor the situation on the grounds that it is “interfering in its internal affairs.” Japan should directly urge the Chinese government to accept the investigative team.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has indicated that Japan will make its own decision on how to respond to the Beijing Olympics. Japan should cooperate with China to ensure the success of the Olympics, but we must not allow this festival of peace to become a venue for Chinese propaganda and for human rights violations to be swept under the rug.