U.S. to not go to Beijing for Olympics

At a meeting Monday morning, U.S. ambassadors to China and China-Taiwan jointly decided not to travel to Beijing for the Olympics.

(See associated stories here, here and here.)

The New York Times says that a senior Chinese official expressed concerns about the politics of this trip; but the Obama administration does not seem to have been “torpedoed,” as the Times puts it.

Mr. Biden, in a statement, said that he was “encouraged” by China’s announcement to reduce tariffs on imports of autos and that he looks forward to attending the upcoming opening ceremony of the 2008 games. The Times notes:

Two senior officials at the State Department said the administration was less concerned about the diplomatic damage to relations and more focused on protests aimed at Beijing by Tibetans and diplomats and protesters against the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.

At some point before the games end in August, there are still some indications that the violence against Tibetans will not seem to be waning, nor will China’s end-of-August promises to meet its commitments made to the International Olympic Committee.

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