China not worried about any ‘domino effect’ of Olympic boycotts

BEIJING, DEC 9 (REUTERS) - China is not worried about a “domino effect” of diplomatic boycotts of the Beijing Winter Olympics, it said on Thursday, after Australia, Britain and Canada joined the United States in deciding not to send officials to the Games.

The United States was the first to announce a boycott, saying on Monday its government officials would not attend the Feb. 4-20 Games because of China’s human rights “atrocities” in the western region of Xinjiang.

“I don’t see any need to be worried about any domino effect,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily news conference when asked about the chance of more boycotts.“On the contrary, most countries in the world have expressed support for the Beijing Winter Olympics.”The diplomatic boycotts by the United States and its allies follow a sharp deterioration in relations between Beijing and Washington that began under former U.S. President Donald Trump.