The Editorial Analysis | Winter is Here

Table of Contents

Beijing Olympics 2022- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: International Relations- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

On the eve of the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympic games 2022.
Earlier, India joined Russia in expressing support for the games, following a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China.
- India’s support came amid the U.S. and its allies announcing a diplomatic boycott because of rights violations in Xinjiang.

Reason for Boycott: India’s diplomatic boycott was followed by China’s move this week to choose a PLA commander as one of the participants of the traditional torch relay.
- The commander was involved in the June 15, 2020 clash in Galwan Valley. He was subsequently given military honours by Beijing.
Impact:
- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said no Indian official will be present at the opening or closing ceremonies of the games, which run from February 4 to 20.
- Despite India’s diplomatic boycott, a lone Indian athlete who qualified, skier Arif Khan, will still take part in both the games and in the opening ceremony along with support staff.
Chinese Geopolitical Reasoning: the selection of the PLA commander is an ongoing campaign by China to publicize Galwan and highlight the “bravery” of PLA troops.

S. and its allies like Canada Australia announced a diplomatic boycott because of rights violations in Xinjiang.
- In Xinjiang, minority Uighurs have been sent to “reeducation” camps.
Chinese Reaction: China denounced the diplomatic boycott by around a dozen countries as “politicizing” the Beijing Olympic Games.
- China first denied the existence of the camps, but later said they were for “vocational training”.