PARIS — France said Tuesday it would seek a
coordinated
EU response after the
US announced a diplomatic boycott of the
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
اضافة اعلان
The decision, which stopped short of preventing athletes
from attending, comes after Washington spent months wrangling over what
position to take on the Games, which begin in February.
The decision was taken over what the United States termed
China's "genocide" of the
Uyghur minority and other human rights
abuses.
France said it was examining the issue after the
announcement.
"We have taken note of the American decision," an
official in President Emmanuel Macron's office told AFP.
"We will coordinate at the European level."
France takes over the rotating six-month presidency of the
European Council on January 1, and Macron is set to lay out his priorities for
the term at a press conference on Thursday.
"When we have concerns about human rights, we tell the
Chinese so," the official said, adding that France had imposed sanctions
against China last March over human rights abuses in the mostly Muslim Xinjiang
region.
Because of Covid-related entry restrictions, few world
leaders are expected to attend the winter Games that are scheduled from
February 4 to 20.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin has, however, already
accepted an invitation by Chinese leader
Xi Jinping.
The Kremlin on Tuesday criticized the United States for
announcing the diplomatic boycott, saying the Games should be "free of
politics".
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