Canberra’s decision comes amid “disagreements” with China on a number of issues (Representative)
Sydney:
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would not send officials to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the event.
Canberra’s decision comes amid “disagreements” with China over a number of issues, including Australia’s foreign intervention law and the recent purchase of nuclear-powered submarines, Morrison said.
“Australia will not back down from the firm position we have taken to protect Australian interests, and it is clearly no surprise that we will not be sending Australian officials to the Olympics,” he said. that association.
The decision not to prevent athletes from attending came a day after the United States announced a diplomatic boycott.
The US decision was made based on what Washington called China’s act of genocide of the Uighur ethnic minority and other human rights abuses by China.
Morrison also cited human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and Beijing’s unwillingness to meet with Australian officials for negotiations as key to Australia’s decision.
“There is no obstacle to that happening on our side, but the Chinese government has consistently refused to give us the opportunity to meet on these issues,” he said.
Over the past two years, China has imposed a series of punitive sanctions on Australian goods in a bitter political dispute that has frozen ministerial contacts and pushed ties. into the most serious crisis since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
China has been angered by Australia’s willingness to legislate against overseas influence activities, ban Huawei from 5G contracts and call for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Australian barley, coal, copper ore, cotton, hay, logs, rock lobster, sugar, wine, beef, citrus fruit, cereals, grapes, dairy products and infant formula I have all been punished by China.
Australia’s arming of its navy with nuclear-powered submarines under a new defense treaty with Britain and the United States is widely seen as an attempt to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific region. Yang also angered Beijing.
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