Opinion | The US 'boycott' is a cheap, worthless shot to try and humiliate China

By Tom Fowdy

On Monday evening, the White House announced that it would refuse to send any officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 in what has been described as a "Diplomatic Boycott" event, accusing China of human rights abuses. The decision would still allow sponsors and athletes to participate, making it only symbolic in practice, as opposed to the full boycott pursued against the Soviet Union in 1980. Other countries aligned to the US, such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, may join in at Washington's demands.

None of this changes the reality. This is a cheap, worthless and risk-free public relations stunt by the US in the vain attempt to try and humiliate China. As it comes with absolutely no personal costs or sacrifice whatsoever, it ultimately serves to scorn the idea of such countries supposedly taking a "stand". It means nothing, and why after all does China's success or vindication depend on their exclusive approval?

The US mindset in advocating a boycott of the Olympics is illustrative of how the country believes it upholds moral and political supremacy over China, and treats it as a fundamental unequal. In believing that the event is contingent upon their political approval, they push the longstanding assumption that China's political system and ideology is only "legitimate" if they will it to be so, and the country in turn must exist within the terms and conditions which they have set for it. As it were in the colonial era, China must be "changed" in order to meet their image, and if it does not it must be condemned and subjugated. The west at large is stating China is subject to "their approval".

This mentality feeds into how the United States selectively and hypocritically weaponizes the issue of human rights to a wider audience in order to attempt to contain the rise of China and diminish its global standing. The Xinjiang issue for one, is not motivated by "genuine concern" or true moral intent, but more so for how it can be used as a tool to manufacture consent for specific policies and sanctions which advance its agenda against the country accordingly. This has included attacking strategically important Chinese technology companies, advancing protectionist goals on goods such as Solar Panels, or forcing allies to toe the US line through the "obligation" of human rights.

As a result, over the past few weeks there has been a coordinated campaign across the media releasing various "studies" or "reports" aiming to cast China in a negative light in the view to building up to this boycott announcement, and to push other countries to do so the same. They believe that by not showing their political "support" they are serving to score points, isolate and humiliate China, and that without such, the event will somehow not be successful. But China might ask, with all what is achieved so far and will yet achieve, why are the country's fortunes contingent on explicit western approval? Who do these countries think they are? And because they are not willing to take serious steps anyway, why does it truly matter? Does China's Olympic glory really depend on the presence of Joe Biden's wife?

This means that across the next few months, we can expect little more than a glorified "shouting match" from the US and its supporters with the intended goal of ensuring that China is not "allowed" to gain any plaudits, prestige or credit for the event, aiming to "cast a shadow over it". Ultimately however, China should be unphased by this and have little to fear, and should move forwards with full embracement and promotion of the event regardless. This rhetorical game only serves to express their anxieties and insecurity over a changing world and based on their assumptions of supremacy, their inability to come to terms with a rising China that could potentially be more successful than they are.

There is a whole world out there, and China's standing, achievements and self-esteem do not hinge upon the inflated egos of a small grouping of countries who are willing to cling on to their long-held privileges of dominance. This is and will be China's event, not their political circus and clown show.

The author is a well-seasoned writer and analyst with a large portfolio related to China topics, especially in the field of politics, international relations and more. He graduated with an Msc. in Chinese Studies from Oxford University in 2018.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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