LONDON (Reuters) – China on Wednesday accused Britain of trying to smear the winter Olympics in Beijing in a blatant contravention of the Olympic spirit after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were no plans for British ministers to attend.
“The Chinese government has not invited government ministers or officials from the UK to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics,” a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said.
“The Beijing Winter Olympics is a gathering of Olympic athletes and winter sports lovers across the world, not a tool of political manipulation for any country,” the spokesman said. “Making an issue out of the presence of government officials at the Beijing Winter Olympics is in essence a political smearing campaign.”
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by William James)
