The U.S.’s place in the world has been questioned many times in the past few weeks as globalists have been meeting and taking sides, especially in the middle of the growing tensions between this country and China.
But now, South Korea, the United State’s longtime ally, has moved away from America’s lead and will not be joining the current diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.
South Korean leader Moon Jae-in stated this week that his government would “not consider” the boycott. The country has not “received any requests from any nations, including the U.S., to join the boycott,” he said, Bloomberg said.
Naturally, China welcomed South Korea’s announcement, seeing it as a move of friendship.
Tensions between the United States and China are growing.
Last week, the United States unveiled a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Chinese Olympics due to gross human rights abuses that China commits, as reported by Reuters.
The diplomatic boycott was encouraged by Congress-members and human rights groups. Unlike the more comprehensive boycott of the Games under President Carter in 1980, this type of boycott leaves athletes free to go to Beijing to compete.
China, of course, criticized this boycott by the U.S.
“The US wishes to politicize sports and provoke confrontation,” a comment from the Chinese mission to the UN said. “The success of these Games does not depend on the attendance of some handful of nations’ government officials.”
“Nobody would care about if these people come or not, and it will have no affect whatsoever on the Beijing Olympics,” China’s Washington embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said, as reported by the BBC.
But others joined in condemning the country’s human rights abuses.
Though the United States was alone at first in declaring their diplomatic boycott, Canada, Australia, and the U.K. have also joined the boycott.
But China’s trading role in the Korean area is monumental, which is possibly why South Korea does not want to anger the larger nation by participating the boycott. As reported by Bloomberg, China is Seoul’s top trading partner.
“Clearly, our partnerships with China have some competing aspects,” President Moon stated, according to the Bloomberg news report.
But then he stated that China’s “constructive efforts” are also needed for the denuclearization of North Korea, and for the “stability and peace of the Korean Peninsula.”
When the U.S.’s top Asian partner does not join its boycott, it’s a bad thing for Biden and America.
Author: Steven Sinclaire