China warned on Tuesday the United States would “pay the price” for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns.
The move drew fiery opposition from Beijing, which threatened unspecified counter-measures, warning the U.S. would “pay the price for its wrongdoing”.
“Stay tuned,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily press briefing.
“The U.S. attempt to interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics out of ideological prejudice, based on lies and rumours, will only expose (its) sinister intentions,” Mr. Zhao said.
“The Winter Olympics are not a stage for political shows and political manipulation,” he added, accusing the U.S. of “actions that interfere in and undermine the Beijing Winter Olympics.”
Reactions evoked
But Washington’s move was broadly welcomed by rights groups and politicians in the U.S..
The International Olympic Committee called it a “purely political decision for each government, which the IOC in its political neutrality fully respects.”
“Our position is that the Olympic Games should be free of politics,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, but said it was positive that participants were not impacted by the decision.