US planning diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics, say reports

Weighing how to approach the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the US administration is considering the possibility of a diplomatic boycott, but so far it has not reached on final conclusion, reported CNN citing officials familiar with the matter.

US President Joe Biden is expected to soon approve a recommendation to not send American officials to the games reported The Washington Post on Tuesday.

The White House usually sends a delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

The issue did not come up during the recent virtual meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The diplomatic boycott call has been advocated by top US lawmakers in the US. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had called for such a boycott, a move to protest against China's abuses of human rights.

However, the White House has declined to say anything over the matter.

"I don't have anything to add on that subject," CNN quoted deputy press secretary Andrew Bates as saying on Tuesday.

It comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month had stated that Washington and its allies are in "active conversations" about how to approach the Beijing Olympics.