Diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics pushed

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, criticizing China for human rights abuses.

Lawmakers in the United States have been increasingly vocal about an Olympic boycott or venue change and have lashed out at US corporations, arguing their silence about Uygur suffering abets Beijing.

Pelosi, a Democrat, told a congressional hearing on the issue that heads of state around the world should shun the Games in February.

"What I propose ... is a diplomatic boycott," she said. "Let's not honor the Chinese government by having heads of state go to China."

An independent UN panel said in 2018 it had credible reports at least 1 million Uygurs and other Muslims were held in camps - described by Beijing as training centers to tackle extremism.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said yesterday that Pelosi's remarks were "full of lies and false information," and the United States was afraid visiting countries would see China's "vigorous development of human rights."