China is threatening countermeasures if the US boycotts the Beijing Olympics

WASHINGTON / BEIJING (Reuters) – US politicians should stop calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics so as not to damage bilateral relations, and China will take “countermeasures” if necessary, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The Biden administration will announce this week that U.S. government officials will not attend the 2022 Beijing Olympics, CNN reported on Sunday.

Those calling for a boycott are “big” and should stop “not to affect important areas of dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.

“When the United States deliberately continues its path, China will take action against it,” he told a news conference.

U.S. President Joe Biden said last month he was considering a diplomatic boycott to protest China’s human rights history, including what Washington says is a genocide against Muslim minorities. The administration has come under pressure from activists and members of Congress to skip matches.

The White House declined to comment on CNN’s report on Sunday. Four sources familiar with the administration’s opinion told Reuters that there was a growing consensus in the White House that US officials would stay away from the Beijing Olympics.

CNN said the US boycott would not prevent its athletes from competing in games.

The State Department did not respond to questions about the report on Sunday night.