The Beijing Winter Olympics boycott is insignificant, says Macron
France has no plans to join the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, said President Emmanuel Macron. Macron said such a move was insignificant and only symbolic. The United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia have announced that they will not be sending government officials
This includes allegations of abuse against the Uyghurs and other minorities.
France has no plans to join the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, said President Emmanuel Macron. Macron said such a move was insignificant and only symbolic. The United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia have announced that they will not be sending government officials to the February Olympics because of human rights concerns in China.
China says countries boycotting the Olympics "will pay the price for their mistakes." Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he had accepted the Olympics invitation.
At an expanded news conference Thursday, Macron said the Olympics should not be politicized, and he preferred actions that had a "beneficial effect." "To be clear, do you have a total boycott and you don't send athletes or are you trying to turn things around with useful action," he said.
The president added that France will work with the International Olympic Committee on a charter for the protection of athletes, in a veiled reference to Peng Shuai.
"I don't think we need to politicize this issue, especially when we have to take such meaningless and symbolic steps," he said. In broad discussions with journalists, Macron also made the following points:
- He said he wanted the EU to focus on defense and border management and reform the Schengen agreement on free movement - France will take over the six-month presidency of the EU Council in January.
- He said the EU needed to rethink its budget rules to encourage investment as the world exits the Covid-19 pandemic.
- HE SAID the UK government had not kept its promises on Brexit, but there has been progress in talks in recent weeks.
- Britain's role in calling for the Aukus Security Pact with the United States and Australia, which led to Australia canceling the submarine deal with France, "is not the clearest sign of friendship."
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