Canada’s former top diplomat to Hong Kong called on his country to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 in response to China’s imposition of…
Canada’s former top diplomat to Hong Kong called on his country to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022 in response to China’s imposition of a law that allows it to imprison dissidents deemed a threat to “national security.”
The Globe and Mail reported that John Higginbottom, who served as commissioner for Canada in Hong Kong between 1989 and 1994 and has also worked on diplomatic missions in Beijing, urged athletes to boycott the games unless China “lays off” infringing upon the sovereignty of Hong Kong. Under the proposed “national security” law, they plan to effectively criminalize any activities seen as undermining Beijing’s total authority.
“The next Winter Games are in February 2022, not long from now. China wants them badly as the latest pageant of national power and prestige,” he said. “Winter Olympics are easier to organize a boycott than Summer. Medals are concentrated in a few friendly, cold, democratic countries.”
Relations between the two countries have been strained recently because of the dispute over Hong Kong, home to an estimated 300,000 Canadian citizens.
