China threatens US over diplomatic boycott to Beijing Olympics

China has threatened to take "countermeasures" if US politicians didn’t stop calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Those calling for a boycott are "grandstanding" and should stop "so as not to affect the dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States in important areas," Zhao Lijian, China's foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

"If the US insists in willfully clinging to its course, China will take resolute countermeasures," he said at a news conference.

The Biden administration is expected to announce this week that US government officials will not attend the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, CNN reported on Sunday.

READ MORE: China not inviting Western politicians who threaten boycott of Olympics

China's human rights record

US President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering such a diplomatic boycott to protest China's human rights record, including what Washington says is genocide against minority Muslims. 

The administration has been under pressure from activists and members of Congress to skip the games.

The White House declined to comment on CNN's report on Sunday. 

Four sources with knowledge of the administration's thinking previously told Reuters that there was a growing consensus within the White House to keep US officials away from the Beijing Olympics.

CNN said the US boycott would not prevent its athletes from competing in the games.

The State Department did not respond to questions about the report late Sunday.

READ MORE: Beijing lights the flame, kicking off 2022 Winter Olympic Games