Polish President Andrzej Duda will take part in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing despite the Games being diplomatically boycotted by several Western states due to the reported violation of human rights in China.
Among the state which are boycotting the Olympics are the Untied States (which started the boycott), Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
The head of the presidential International Policy Bureau Jakub Kumoch, explained,that Poland was a sovereign nation that conducted policy towards China independently.
Jakub Kumoch, Polish president’s foreign affairs advisor:
Due to relations between Poland and the United States deteriorating during President Joe Biden’s leadership, further criticism of China just to please the Americans is no longer in Poland’s interest.
“Poland is an ally of the United States, but also has very friendly relations with China,” he explained.
Polish administration representatives also told Reuters that, “Due to relations between Poland and the United States deteriorating during President Joe Biden’s leadership, further criticism of China just to please the Americans is no longer in Poland’s interest.”
Reuters also noted that the relations of the Polish president with China were recently very positive. Duda had mentioned that Poland plans to use its geographical position to increase its role in the trade between Europe and China. He will also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China.
The 24th Winter Olympics will take place between Feb. 4 to Feb. 20.
