Polish president attends Beijing Olympics despite US boycott

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrives for a NATO summit at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2021. Kenzo Triboilard/Paul via Reuters

WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Andrzej Duda will attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, a senior official confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday, as a number of Western countries called for the diplomatic boycott of the Games.

Australia, Britain, Canada and Japan have joined the US boycott to protest China’s human rights record.

“Poland is a sovereign country and determines its own policy towards China…Poland is an ally of the United States, but Poland also has very friendly relations with China,” the foreign affairs adviser told Reuters. Duda, Jacob Komoc.

Officials told Reuters that as Poland’s relationship with the United States deteriorated under President Joe Biden, it was no longer in Poland’s interest to continue to criticize China just to to please Americans.

The Polish President’s relations with China have been positive lately and surprisingly emerged during the 17+1 summit with China as other Central European countries sent lower officials. Duda said Poland plans to take advantage of its geographical location to boost its role in trade between Europe and China.

Polish state news agency PAP first reported on Duda’s plans to attend the Beijing Olympics.

The Netherlands and Denmark have also pledged to join the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Read more

China denies rights violations and denounces the boycott as a betrayal of Olympic principles.

(Reporting by Joanna Plosinska and Alan Sharlish) Editing by Jonathan Otis

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