Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday Australia will join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games over human rights concerns.
Morrison said it should come as no surprise that Australian officials would boycott the event after the nation's relationship with China had broken down in recent years.
“I'm doing it because it's in Australia's national interest,” Morrison said. “It's the right thing to do.”He said Australian athletes would still be able to compete.
As well as citing human rights abuses, Morrison said China had been very critical of Australia's efforts to have a strong defense force in the region “particularly in relation, most recently, to our decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.”
He said his government was very happy to talk to China about their differences. “There's been no obstacle to that occurring on our side, but the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet,” Morrison said.
Rights groups have pushed for a full-blown boycott of the games, accusing China of rights abuses against ethnic minorities. The US and Australian decisions fall short of those calls but come at an exceptionally turbulent time for international relations and have been met with a barrage of criticism from China.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday no UK government minister will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, calling it “effectively” a diplomatic boycott.
Johnson was asked in the House of Commons whether the UK will join the United States, Australia and Lithuania in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games in February over Beijing's human rights record.