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Australia will be a part of the US in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics subsequent yr, in a transfer that dangers worsening strained relations with China.
Scott Morrison, prime minister, mentioned on Tuesday that it ought to come as no shock that Australia wouldn’t ship official representatives to the Video games given “a quantity” of points between the nations that China had not been keen to debate.
These included issues over alleged human rights abuses in China’s north-western Xinjiang area and Beijing’s anger over Australian efforts to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
On Monday, Jen Psaki, White Home press secretary, mentioned the Biden administration would boycott the Video games in February due to the “ongoing genocide and crimes in opposition to humanity” in Xinjiang. China referred to as the choice “a critical violation of the precept of political neutrality”.
Relations between Canberra and Beijing have worsened dramatically since Australia joined the Aukus safety partnership with the UK and the US.
Human rights teams, which have criticised China for its insurance policies in Xinjiang and clampdown in Hong Kong, have additionally urged governments and corporations around the globe to boycott the Winter Olympics.
“Australia is already within the doghouse,” mentioned Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor in political science at Hong Kong Baptist College, including that the diplomatic boycott was a part of a “downward spiral” in Australia-China relations.
China is Australia’s largest buying and selling associate by way of each imports and exports, accounting for greater than A$245bn (US$175bn) value of commerce final yr, in response to Australian authorities figures.
Australia, in the meantime, is China’s sixth-largest coaching associate and an important provider of uncooked supplies. Final yr, Beijing imposed an unofficial ban on Australian coal after Canberra supported a name for a world inquiry into the origins of coronavirus in Wuhan. Beef, wine, timber, cotton and seafood additionally confronted steep tariffs.
However China’s want for Australian imports would restrict its response, Cabestan mentioned.
“The influence [of worsening relations] on commerce has been important in some sectors however restricted in others like iron ore,” he mentioned. “China wants Australia and Australian imports.”
On Wednesday, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, mentioned: “China is strongly dissatisfied with and resolutely opposes what the Australian facet has achieved, and has made critical representations to the Australian facet.”
Final month, Human Rights Watch, a US-headquartered marketing campaign group, mentioned the Beijing Video games have been “tainted by censorship and repression” and referred to as on its worldwide sponsors, together with Visa, Coca-Cola and Omega, to make use of their leverage to deal with alleged rights abuses in China.
This week, New Zealand additionally mentioned it might not ship diplomats to the Beijing Video games, however cited worries over the unfold of Covid-19 relatively than political issues. The UK parliament additionally voted in favour of a non-binding movement for a diplomatic boycott of the Video games in July.
Extra reporting by Emma Zhou in Beijing
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