China has sharply criticised the diplomatic boycott of February’s Beijing Winter Olympics by the United States (U.S.).
Washington should stop politicising sports, Foreign Office spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said on Tuesday in Beijing.
He announced “resolute countermeasures”, without giving details.
“The Olympics are not a stage for political manipulation,’’ he added.
White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, had announced the previous day that President Joe Biden’s administration would not send diplomatic or official representatives to the Games in China because of alleged human rights abuses.
U.S. athletes will still attend; other countries are mulling a diplomatic boycott.
China’s foreign office spokesman said the U.S. should stop “disrupting the Beijing Winter Olympics with words or deeds’’.
Otherwise, he said, they are harming bilateral dialogue and cooperation with China on important issues.
The Winter Games will be held from February 4 to 20, 2022.
China has come under criticism for alleged human rights abuses, including its treatment of minorities such as the Uighurs and Tibetans and its suppression of democracy movement in Hong Kong.
There are also major political tensions between the U.S. and China over other contentious issues.
The relationship has fallen to its lowest point since diplomatic relations were established in 1979.
Biden sees China as the most powerful competitor and the greatest geopolitical challenge for the U.S.
