The Economist reports that the Chinese Communist Party‘s persecution of the Uighurs in Xinjiang has sparked outrage, and that in addition to sanctioning Chinese officials, countries may also boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics hosted by China, which will be one of the most controversial events in Olympic history.
The Economist published an article on the 27th, “Will countries boycott China’s 2022 Olympics?” (Will countries boycott China’sOlympics in2022?). The article mentions that when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Beijing the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, some people had expressed criticism based on China’s poor human rights record.
However, when Norway, which had bid to host the games, withdrew, China was left with only one other dictatorship, Kazakhstan, and few could have foreseen that the Communist Party would build labor camps in Xinjiang within two years and imprison more than 1 million Uighurs for their faith and Culture alone.
The report noted that the West has become much tougher on the Chinese Communist Party since China won the right to host the event. On March 22, the U.S., Britain, Canada and the European Union announced sanctions against Chinese officials for their actions. Western powers have cooperated in a rare effort to pressure the Chinese government over its human rights record. The Chinese Communist Party’s clampdown on Hong Kong and its challenge to global norms of freedom has angered countries.
In the past, when the 1980 Summer Olympics were held in Moscow, Soviet Union, the United States and other countries boycotted by refusing to send athletes in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. However, it does not appear that any country will refuse to send athletes to the 2022 Winter Olympics at this Time.
Moreover, despite persistent calls from the United States, Canada and Europe to re-locate the Winter Olympics elsewhere, the IOC insists that sport is sport and politics is politics, and corporate sponsors have not wavered in their support.
However, as the opening day of the Olympics approaches, calls for a boycott are growing, and in 2008, the Beijing-hosted Summer Olympics were described by some as a “genocidal Olympics” because of the mass killings in Darfur by the Communist-backed Sudan. This time, although there was no massacre in Xinjiang, the Beijing Winter Olympics are more likely to be labeled a “genocidal Olympics.
Some national leaders are likely to stay away from the Beijing Winter Olympics, and some athletes may share the same attitude, the newspaper said. While President Joe Biden has yet to make a statement, it is unlikely that he or other top U.S. officials will attend, as the U.S. has officially labeled the Chinese Communist Party’s “genocide” in Xinjiang.
Companies sponsoring the Beijing Winter Olympics are under increasing pressure. Zumretay Arkin, a member of the World Uyghur Congress, said she and others are approaching the companies “one by one” and will “publicly name and shame” them if necessary. They will be “publicly named and shamed” if necessary.
Airbnb is one of the IOC’s main sponsors, along with Coca-Cola, Samsung, Visa and others.
Airbnb signed the sponsorship agreement in November 2019, when the Xinjiang labor camps were already widely known. A coalition of more than 190 concerned human rights groups representing Tibet, Uyghurs and others published a joint letter on March 23 asking Airbnb to cancel its sponsorship.
“The Economist contacted Airbnb and did not receive a definitive response to the letter or to the Olympics. A spokesperson issued a statement in January saying they were aware that some homeowners in China were refusing to rent to guests from ethnic minorities in violation of company policy, and that such discriminatory users would be removed.
The report noted that MarsWrigley, the parent company of Snickers, which signed on as the “official chocolate” of the Beijing Winter Olympics in December 2019, received a similar letter, but the company did not comment. Coca-Cola and Visa are also not responding to the issue at this time.
IOC officials said such boycotts punish only the athletes, and after the Moscow Olympics, the Soviet Union continued to invade Afghanistan for eight years.
Apartheid South Africa was banned by the IOC from participating in the Olympics, but at the time, the United Nations banned South Africa from participating in international events, and the Olympics were only incidental, and South Africa’s national strength and China cannot be compared. Some people are worried that the 2022 Winter Olympics will follow in the footsteps of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and become a showcase for the Chinese Communist Party to show off its muscles.
However, China has been making new enemies lately. China has indicted two Canadians in China on espionage charges in retaliation for the arrest of huawei‘s treasurer Meng Wanzhou in Canada, which could anger Canada, a major medal-winning nation in the Winter Olympics; China and Australia are engaged in a trade war; and China recently sanctioned European officials in turn over the Xinjiang issue. If the call for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics really gains momentum, China itself has pushed the envelope.
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