Australia joins US in diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

Australia will not send officials to the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday, joining a US diplomatic boycott of the event. Canberra's decision comes amid "disagreement" with China over a number of issues, including Australia's foreign interference laws and a recent decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, Morrison said."There's been no obstacle to that occurring on our side, but the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about these issues," he said.

"Australia will not step back from the strong position we've had standing up for Australia's interests, and obviously it is of no surprise that we wouldn't be sending Australian officials to those Games," he said. The decision, which stopped short of preventing athletes from attending, comes a day after the United States announced its diplomatic boycott.Morrison also cited human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region and Beijing's unwillingness to meet Australian officials for talks as key to Australia's decision. "There's been no obstacle to that occurring on our side, but the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about these issues," he said.