Premier Mark McGowan blasts Australia’s diplomatic boycott of China Winter Olympics as ‘inexplicable’

Mark McGowan says Australia’s decision to join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in China is “pretty inexplicable”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said he was “standing up for Australia’s interests” by not sending representatives to the Games in Beijing, citing Australia’s struggle to reopen diplomatic channels with China.

He said he was “very happy to talk” to the Chinese Government on issues including human rights abuses in the western region of Xinjiang and any political or economic fall-out from the boycott “would be completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Britain and Canada on Thursday joined the diplomatic boycott, which China labelled as “political posturing” and a smear campaign.

Asked if he supported Australia’s diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games, the Premier replied: “No and I don’t understand why we’ve done that. The Olympics should be above politics.”

Mr McGowan has repeatedly called for a “reset” of Australia’s ailing relationship with China and warned combative rhetoric from Morrison Government ministers risked the nation’s economic prosperity.

Mr McGowan said he was “not really” concerned the boycott would further sour the relationship with China but renewed his plea for “more diplomatic language” from the Federal Government.

“We obviously want to have a good relationship with China, they are an important player in our region and a major trading partner, in fact the major trading partner, which generates millions of Australian jobs,” he said.

“We obviously have a view that we should be more diplomatic towards China.

“Obviously, this move around the Olympics I find pretty inexplicable. I think sport, particularly the Olympics, should be above politics.”

Mr McGowan plans to embark on a “reconnection tour” of China, South Korea and Japan when WA’s reopen to the world early in 2022 after two years of border closures.

The State Government last financial year recorded a record $5.8 billion surplus, thanks largely to an iron ore royalties windfall fuelled by the Chinese Government’s pandemic stimulus program.

China is WA’s biggest trading partner, buying $134 billion worth of exports in 2020-21.

The next highest was Japan with $19.1 billion, followed by South Korea ($12.9 billion) and the United Kingdom ($9 billion).