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Kinling Lo

China has urged Switzerland to help counter “malicious politicisation” of sport amid international calls for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the appeal in a phone call with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on Saturday.
“Both countries should co-defend sports from malicious politicisation, and provide a healthy environment for the international games,” Wang said, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.
The statement said Cassis wished Beijing smooth preparation for the Games and believed that the event would conclude successfully.
Cassis said on Twitter that he and Wang “exchanged on the relevance of multilateralism, the resumption of our human rights dialogue and the responsibility of China as Olympic host for the rights of athletes”.
Peng Shuai: IOC defends handling of rights concerns before Beijing Games
Bern has expressed interest in resuming the human rights dialogue stalled since 2019.
The Chinese foreign ministry statement did not refer to the dialogue.
Wang and Cassis had been expected to meet in person in Anji in eastern China’s Zhejiang province but the flight had to be diverted to Russia and return to Switzerland due to “technical problems” in the Swiss aircraft.


Human rights have been at the centre of international calls for a diplomatic boycott of the February Games.
Senior British parliamentarian Jacob Rees-Mogg said on Thursday that “no tickets have been booked” for British ministers to attend the Games. The United States and Australia said they were still considering a diplomatic boycott.
Those calls have grown louder amid concerns about the well-being of three-time Olympic tennis player Peng Shuai.
Peng disappeared from the public eye in early November after a social media post in her name accused a retired top government official of pressuring her into sex.
Peng reportedly gave assurances about her safety in a video meeting with IOC chief Thomas Bach last Sunday, a move described by human rights activists as a “publicity stunt”.
In the Chinese foreign ministry statement, Wang called on Switzerland to continue its role as a “bridge” between East and West.
“This bridge should be rooted in multilateralism, be supported with international rules and be just and fair. Only by this, can a country go far and be welcomed and supported by the international community,” Wang was quoted as saying.
Switzerland is home to the IOC’s headquarters and the Swiss city of Zurich was the backdrop for a meeting last month between top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan. That meeting paved the way for online talks between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden on November 15.
But in July 2019, Switzerland also joined 21 other Western countries at the United Nations to urge China to stop holding members of the Uygur ethnic minority in detention centres in Xinjiang, an allegation that Beijing denies.


After unveiling Switzerland’s new policy on China in March, Cassi said “China’s willingness to have a dialogue on human rights has lessened, while the human rights situation in the country has got worse”.
However, Cassis said last month that Switzerland was unlikely to rush into joining other European Union members in imposing sanctions against China, and that it sought to develop a “special path” in bilateral relations with Beijing.
Cassis was also due to outline the China strategy to Wang, according to a Swiss statement published before the scheduled meeting.
It would have been their first face to face meeting since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The annual foreign ministerial meeting is part of a bilateral strategic dialogue framework in place since 2017.


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Switzerland

China seeks Swiss support amid calls for Winter Olympics boycott

Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics in February. Photo: EPA-EFE

Beijing 2022: diplomatic boycott slammed by Russian Olympic chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov, who says it is ‘senseless’ and ‘ruins integrity’ of the Games

Russian veteran politician Valentina Matviyenko (centre) has hit out a talk of a potential boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo: EPA

Dancers perform at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing to celebrate the 100-day countdown to the Winter Games in February. Photo: Reuters

Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdnyakov says a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games is ‘senseless’. Photo: AFP

Australia ponders diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Artists perform with a sign of the 2022 Winter Olympics at an event in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Joe Biden says US considering diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics

Visitors take photos of a statue of figure skaters with the Olympic rings at a park near the headquarters of the Beijing organising committee for the Olympic Games. Photo: AP

epa09589936 President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 November 2021 EPA-EFE/Doug Mills / POOL

News

China

Diplomacy


Chinese foreign minister says both countries should defend sport against politicisation
Swiss counterpart says new date will be set for resumption of stalled human rights dialogue



Swiss foreign minister says new date will be set for resumption of stalled human rights dialogue.


China seeks Swiss support amid calls for Winter Olympics boycott

Chinese foreign minister says both countries should defend sport against politicisation Swiss counterpart says new date will be set for resumption of stalled human rights dialogue

Chinese foreign minister says both countries should defend sport against politicisation

Swiss counterpart says new date will be set for resumption of stalled human rights dialogue