Biden is considering a US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics

US President Joe Biden has said he is considering a US diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. “This is something they are considering,” he told reporters ahead of talks with Mexican and Canadian leaders. The diplomatic boycott means no US officials will be sent to the game. The decision comes amid Rise tensions between the US and China.

On Monday, Biden held his first face-to-face talks with China’s Xi Jinping.

At the White House, Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki said US and Chinese leaders did not talk the Olympics during their three-hour virtual meeting on Monday. Both Democrats also Republicans have called for a diplomatic boycott to protest human rights abuses in China.

The diplomatic boycott won’t affect the athletes, but Ms. Psaki said the United States was still “what will be our presence” at the Olympics. Which kick off on February 4. The US has accused China of genocide against the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority living mainly in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Tensions are also rising over China’s crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong.

Last month, US Senators proposed an amendment to the bill prohibiting the US State Department from spending government money to “assist or facilitate” the presence of US diplomats at the Olympics. Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, called for a boycott. Saying US leaders in attendance would lose their “moral authority.”

Republican Senator Tom Cotton said a diplomatic boycott of the Olympic genocide was “too small, too late. Instead, he called for a complete boycott of all US athletes, officials, and corporate sponsors. Nicki Haley, the former US envoy to the United Nations under Donald Trump, also called for a complete boycott.