Opinion | Beijing 2022: US 'diplomatic boycott' fails to deter world leaders

By Tom Fowdy

As Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics, which will kick off early next month, there are some who have sought to sabotage the event.

Seeking to deny China political prestige for the Olympics, darken its image on the international stage and block depictions of a successful event, the United States has launched a propaganda offensive against Beijing by ramping up the so-called Xinjiang issue and pushing calls for a "diplomatic boycott" — strong-arming allies to do the same, though still allowing their athletes to participate in the Games.

Some close allies of Washington have followed the US line, albeit with varying degrees of hesitancy or even simply using the pandemic as an excuse for not sending official government representatives to Beijing 2022.

On the other hand, a growing number of world leaders have announced that they will attend the event, including Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In addition, China has extended an invitation to Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres is also set to attend, and the list of invited leaders is likely to grow in the run-up to the event.

The roster of those willing to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Games shows that Washington's attempts to isolate China and pour scorn over the event have not been successful, and more so as China's success is not contingent upon the approval of a small group of select countries which believe they possess a monopoly over global leadership and politics.

Rather, the Winter Olympics will serve to send out a message of China's commitment to multilateralism and global engagement, and showcase the nation's developmental success as Beijing becomes the only city in the world to hold both the Summer and Winter Olympics. This is not about what "America" thinks; it is about where China has been, where it is now and what it shall become.

China's diplomacy in the world today is ultimately a success precisely because, unlike the US, it does not attempt to carve up global affairs into rigid "bloc politics", espouse a Cold War mentality and force countries to take sides on zero-sum ideological crusades, of which all have defined US foreign policy over the course of a century.

China's foreign policy is built on principles of non-alignment, non-interference, respect for national sovereignty, and also support for the Global South. As of late last year, over 145 countries and regions were members of the China-led Belt and Road initiative, a project that seeks to enhance global development on a grand scale, helping transform lives and build nations.

Likewise, China has demonstrated global solidarity and leadership in the efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. While wealthier countries have hoarded vaccines and made donation pledges they have never lived up to, China, in the course of a year, exported 2 billion doses of vaccines and is promising to provide 1 billion more vaccines in 2022, including donations of 750 million doses, a lifeline for countries in the Global South, as Bridge Consulting Group noted.

China's role in the world is one that has been wide, diverse and proactive. When you look at all the developments, you can rightly wonder: why does China need Washington's diplomatic approval? Is the US a gatekeeper and judge that can determine China's standing and merits in the world?

Absolutely not.

Rather, a rising China is forging its own pathway, and is engaging with willing countries from all continents on mutual terms, not those which the US has set for it. And the Beijing Winter Olympics is only a demonstration of that.

Washington's petty behavior is ultimately an expression of the US' inability to accept China for what it is, seeking not to engage and co-exist with China, but to put it down at all costs even to the point it becomes irrational and delusional.

As one example recently, the US attempted to pressure the United Arab Emirates over Huawei's participation in 5G by leveraging the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the Arab nation. Abu Dhabi shunned the deal as an infringement of its national sovereignty.

Just weeks later, the foreign ministers of the UAE's fellow Persian Gulf States visited China and vowed to establish a strategic partnership between the Gulf Cooperation Council and China. This is not an "alliance" against the US, but a demonstration of how China forges far reaching partnerships and how Washington is increasingly limited in preventing such friendships.

The Winter Olympics send the same message, that the US cannot disrupt China's global standing or engagement. Therefore, the "diplomatic boycott" call has, at large, been a failure, with the US posturing failing to take the shine off Beijing 2022 or deter the many world leaders visiting China, seeking new deals, new opportunities and a multilateral vision for the global future.

(Source: China Daily)

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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