Official: Danish government will not attend Beijing Winter Olympics in China

The Winter Olympics in Beijing will begin next month, but Danish government representatives will not be present.

In an email to media BT, Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on 14 January that the decision about not attending the Winter Olympics in China had been made. “The government has worked for a common EU approach. That’s why we have not previously made any announcements,” the email said before continuing:

“Today’s meeting has shown that it is unfortunately not possible to reach agreement among all 27 EU countries. Various choices have been made about the way forward. It is no secret that we on the Danish side are very concerned about the human rights situation in China.”

Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said, “I have made this clear on several occasions, most recently directly with the Chinese Foreign Minister when I visited China in November. The Danish athletes can count on the government’s full support. And we’re going to cheer on them, just like we usually do. But we will do it from home and not from Beijing.”

The government has been deciding since early December when the United States was the first country to announce a diplomatic boycott of the Games.

The Danish government has been in the decision-making process since early December when the United States as the first country announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games.

There have been efforts to reach a joint agreement among the countries in the EU, but they have not succeeded.

Last week, the government turned the matter over to the political parties in the Danish parliament, and there it was decided to maintain the original course. Several political parties have justified the decision in regards to human rights violations in China.

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

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