BEIJING, December 8. /TASS/. China will not be inviting Australian officials to attend the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Wednesday.
"China has repeatedly stressed that the Olympics is not a stage for political shows and schemes. China did not invite Australian officials to attend the Winter Olympic Games. Regardless of whether they come or not, no one will notice their absence," he emphasized.
"Australian politicians put up a show and are hyping it up for personal gain. It will not have any impact on the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics," the diplomat noted. He pointed out that Australia linked the presence of its officials at the Games with the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region. "Australia’s actions are a blatant violation of the principle of political neutrality enshrined in the Olympic Charter and run counter to the Olympic call for unity," Wang Wenbin said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said earlier that Canberra would join the United States’ diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing due to China’s alleged abuse of human rights in the Xinjiang autonomous region and a number of other issues related to China’s interference in Australia’s affairs. According to the Sankei newspaper, Japan also plans to refrain from sending cabinet members and government officials to Beijing. New Zealand, in turn, said that its officials would not travel to Beijing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 24th Winter Olympic Games will take place in Beijing on February 4-20, 2022.