The White House on Monday announced that it would diplomatically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Government officials will not attend the tournament but US athletes will be allowed to participate.

Officials in the Biden regime have repeatedly accused Chinese officials of human rights abuses. They say the treatment of Muslims and other ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is tantamount to genocide.

Lawmakers have been urging President Joe Biden to stand firm. They made the call again last month after Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accused a former Communist party leader of sexually abusing him and then disappearing from public view for several weeks.

Chinese diplomats expected the boycott. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that would be a spot for Olympic morale. He warned that China would take “retaliatory measures” but did not specify what they might be.