Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses. The athletes on Team USA have our full support. We will be behind them 100% as we cheer them on from home, but will not be contributing to the fanfare of the Games. U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can’t do that. As the president has told President Xi, standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans. We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights, and we feel strongly in our position and we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond.”

Reporter: “The Chinese Foreign Ministry has already suggested there will be countermeasures, firm countermeasures, is the term that they used. Have they indicated to the administration yet what sort of action that they might take after this move?”

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “Well, I don’t have anything to read out in terms of their intentions or what they would convey from officials from the PRC. But our view is that’s not the right way to view or frame our relationship. Our view is that cooperation on transnational issues is not a favor to us. It is not a transaction. The PRC should be taking action on issues where the, where the global community, to meet the needs of the global community, and that’s what they should do in order to be a part of leadership in the global community. So I don’t have anything to read out on their front. They can certainly speak for themselves?”

Reporter: “Is a diplomatic boycott enough given the human rights abuses?”

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “Well, let me first say everybody can call it whatever they want to call it. I would just remind you that often when you use diplomatic boycott, that phrase, that brings people back to 1980 and we are not, the athletes will be participating. We will be rooting for the athletes from home. I am an Olympics obsessed person, so I’m looking forward to doing that. But I think this is just an indication that it cannot be business as usual, that not sending a diplomatic delegation sends that message. That does not mean, I think this was your question just to come back to it, that we are, that is the end of the concerns we will raise about human rights abuses in Xinjiang. We’ve already taken a number of steps. We’ve been a leader in the world and leading actions through the G7. We’re obviously also working with Congress. But this is just sending a message that given these human rights abuses, we cannot proceed with business as usual. Go ahead.”

Reporter: “Are you trying to get other allies to join the United States in this diplomatic boycott?

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “Well, Steve, we have informed them of our decision and obviously we will leave it to them to make their own decisions.

Reporter: “Why not pull American athletes from the Olympics?”

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “I don’t think that we felt it was, it was the right step to penalize athletes who have been training, preparing for this moment, and we felt that we could send a clear message by by not sending an official U.S. delegation.”

Reporter: “Why not go further and bar U.S. athletes from the games?”

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary: “Because not sending a U.S. delegation sends a clear message that we cannot conduct ourselves with business as usual, that we are not in a state for business as usual is appropriate at a time where there are human rights abuses that we have been outspoken about, that we have taken taken actions on and we feel this sends a clear message. At the same time, we believe U.S. athletes, people who have been training, giving up a lot of blood, sweat and tears, preparing for these Olympics should be able to go and compete, and we look forward to cheering for them from home.”