Berlin (dpa) – Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will not travel to the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. “I am a big sports fan, but I will definitely not be going to the Olympics at this time – that was not usual for foreign ministers in the past either,” said the Green politician. But that was her personal decision. On the question of a diplomatic boycott of the Games, a common line was still being sought with the EU partners.

The USA announced weeks ago that it would not send any official representatives to the Games in China. Australia, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand joined in. One of the reasons is the human rights situation in the world’s most populous country. The leadership in Beijing is criticised for its treatment of minorities such as the Uyghurs and Tibetans, but also for the suppression of the democracy movement in Hong Kong or its threats against Taiwan.