Does the fact that dozens of U.S. officials will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics contradict previous claims? Zhao Lijian: We should ask the US side

Beijing, 19 Jan (China Youth Daily) -- According to reports, China has issued visas to 46 U.S. government officials to come to China during the Beijing Winter Olympics. Most of these U.S. officials are from the U.S. Department of State. At today's regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, a reporter asked: Is this news true? Does the visa application of U.S. officials contradict the previous statement that "no official and diplomatic representatives will be sent to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics"? In response, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that this issue should be asked to the US side.

Zhao Lijian confirmed that the Chinese side has issued the corresponding visas to some members of the US team composed of government officials. The team that came to China to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics included a large number of officials from the US State Department and other government departments, and many officials also held diplomatic or service passports. We hope that the US side will put the Olympic spirit into practice and work with china to create a good atmosphere for athletes from all over the world to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Regarding the question of whether the US visa application this time contradicts the PREVIOUS US side's statement that it does not send official and diplomatic representatives to attend the Winter Olympics, Zhao Lijian responded: "On this issue, you should ask the US side. ”

The US side has said that it will not send government officials to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, but only send a delegation of athletes to participate. But soon after, the U.S. government applied for a visa to the Chinese side, and will send officials from the U.S. State Department of State and Defense departments to China to "provide safety and medical support for American athletes during the Beijing Winter Olympics."

Source: China Youth Daily client