US President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is considering boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“It’s something we are considering,” Biden told reporters ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to elaborate afterwards, stating: “I want to leave the president the space to make decisions.”
Biden held a virtual meeting on Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The leaders spoke for more than three hours in cordial tones, putting side previous caustic language, during their first official meeting since Biden took office, ABC News reported.
Xi described Biden as his “old friend,” with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian describing the meeting as “conducive to increasing positive expectations for U.S.-China relations.”
US-China tensions remain high amidst a buildup of the Chinese military, human rights violations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Province, threats against US allies such as Taiwan, and China's refusal to cooperate in a transparent investi8gation into the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan.