BERLIN (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday that Europe needed to find a common response on the issue of a diplomatic boycott of February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
She said the case of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts have become a matter of international concern following her allegations of being sexually assaulted, need to be pursued.
“When a woman raises such a reproach, it needs to be heard in an international context. We need to pursue the case and come to a common answer,” said Baerbock in Paris during her first trip abroad as foreign minister.
The U.S. initiated the boycott earlier this week over alleged human rights abuses in China.
Baerbock also reiterated that Ukraine’s borders should not be violated by Russia, which has put troops near the border.
“The territorial integrity of Ukraine is not negotiable,” said Baerbock.
(Reporting by Alexander Ratz and Miranda Murray; Editing by Maria Sheahan)
