“Something we´re considering,” Joe Biden said when asked if a diplomatic boycott was under consideration as he sat down for a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A diplomatic boycott would mean that President Joe Biden or other US officials would not attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics in February, but US athletes would still participate, The Hill newspaper reported.

A U.S. decision not to send diplomats would be a rebuke of Chinese President Xi Jinping just days after Xi and Biden worked to ease tensions in a virtual summit, their first extensive talks since Biden took office in January.

Activists and members of Congress from both parties have been pressing the Biden administration to diplomatically boycott the event given that the U.S. government accuses China of carrying out a genocide against Muslim ethnic groups in its western Xinjiang region, something that Beijing denies.

Beijing has urged Washington to give up its double standard policy on human rights and also suggested to focus on its own business, such as white supremacy and racism.

On several occasions, China has condemned the politicization on this matter, foreign interference and assured that programs applied in Xinjiang seek to crack down on terrorism, separatism and radicalization.

China claims to be ready to host Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics from February 4 to 20, 2022, which will become the only city in the world to host both editions.

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