Polish President Andrzej Duda is due to attend the NATO Summit on June 14, 2021 at the Coalition Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Via Kenzo Triboylard / Paul Reuters

WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Andrzej Duda will attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a top aide to Reuters confirmed on Tuesday, calling on several Western nations to boycott the Games diplomatically.

Australia, Britain, Canada and Japan have joined the US boycott in protest of China’s human rights abuses.

“Poland is a sovereign country and determines its own policy towards China … Poland is an ally of the United States, but Poland also has a very friendly relationship with China,” Jacob Komok, Duda’s foreign adviser, told Reuters.

Officials told Reuters that it was not in Poland’s interest to continue criticizing China to please the Americans, as Poland’s relations with the United States were deteriorating under President Joe Biden’s rule.

The Polish President’s relationship with China was surprisingly positive at the 17 + 1 summit with China as it was late positive and sent officials under other countries in Central Europe. Duda said Poland plans to use its geographical location to strengthen its role in trade between Europe and China.

Poland’s state news agency BAP first reported on Duda’s plans to compete in the Beijing Olympics.

The Netherlands and Denmark have pledged a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. read more

China denies rights violations and condemns the boycott as a betrayal of Olympic principles.

(Reporting by Jonah Plosinska and Alan Schurlish) Editing by Jonathan Odyssey

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