China urges US business groups to ‘speak out’ as calls for boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics grow
- Foreign vice-minister Xie Feng tells lobby groups they should encourage Washington to pursue a ‘rational and pragmatic policy’
- Appeal comes as White House considers diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Games over human rights concerns in Xinjiang
Foreign vice-minister Xie Feng, who is in charge of US affairs, laid out Beijing’s requests during a virtual meeting on Tuesday with key US business lobby groups, including the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
Representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the US-China Business Council and various state-level bilateral associations were also present, according to an account posted on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website.
Xie praised the American groups for their commitment and contribution to friendly relations in the past, especially when bilateral ties were in trouble, and urged them to be the “guardians” of US-China cooperation.
“It’s good to enjoy the shade under the big tree,” he said. But warned that if relations between the two countries deteriorate, the business community could not expect to make money while remaining silent.