A British lawmaker called on the British government to take a tougher stance against China’s Communist Party in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct. 7), including taking a stand on China’s hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Foreign Secretary Raab also hinted on Tuesday that Britain might boycott the Games. Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Scott called on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee to pass his proposed resolution calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prevent Beijing from hosting the Games.
British Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith led a debate in Parliament on Wednesday calling on the British government to take a tougher stance against the Chinese Communist Party. The debate was in response to the findings of a recent investigative report, which said that the Chinese authorities have taken a tougher stance against the Chinese Communist Party in Tibetan areas. According to the report, Chinese authorities in Tibetan areas have followed the example of Xinjiang and begun militarized systematic vocational training for Tibetans, forcing more than 500,000 Tibetan farmers and herders to relocate.
During the debate, the former Conservative Party leader called for the passage of a Tibetan reciprocal visit bill, raising the possibility of sanctions against Chinese officials. He also called on the British government to take a position on the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Many of us thought that if it were any other country, there would be calls to move the Olympics elsewhere by now,” he said. I am just saying to the government that they need to take a position on this issue as soon as possible.”
The day before, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in Parliament that Britain may not be able to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics if there is growing evidence that Uighur Muslims are being mistreated in China.
Raab made the remarks when asked before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee about the possibility of Britain not attending the Games in protest against China’s human rights abuses.
He said, “Generally, my instinct is to separate sport from diplomacy and politics, but there comes a time when that is not possible.”
Rabb said that China has committed serious and egregious human rights abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang, including forced sterilization. He suggested considering what further action the U.K. needs to take. He also said Britain needs to “look very carefully” at the issue of the presence of such a prominent figure as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, at the Olympics.
The foreign secretary told lawmakers that he was considering economic sanctions against Communist Party officials responsible for the crackdown on the Uighurs.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on July 9 of this year against Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including Chen Quanguo, a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, which governs Xinjiang.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Rick Scott (D-N.Y.) urged the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to pass his resolution calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prevent China from hosting the 2022 Olympic Games on the grounds that Uighur Muslims have been subjected to “gross human rights violations.
In a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Scott, a Republican, said, “As long as General Secretary Xi Jinping continues on this indefensible path, Communist China should never be rewarded for hosting the 2022 Olympic Games.
The senator from Florida introduced a cross-party resolution in March condemning China’s treatment of the Uighur people. The senator said he brought the resolution to a committee vote with the support of the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Risch of Idaho.
More than 160 human rights groups recently sent a joint letter to the IOC president calling on the IOC to “correct the error” in awarding Beijing the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Beijing denies mass detentions of Uighurs and claims that it is taking counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures in Xinjiang, and considers Western accusations of China’s border control policies to be “malicious smear campaigns” and interference in China’s internal affairs.
China’s treatment of minorities such as the Uighurs in Xinjiang has sparked growing international concern and condemnation. On Tuesday, 39 countries at the United Nations General Assembly joined in criticizing China’s human rights violations against the Uighur people and called for an independent investigation.
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