According to a report on the Hong Kong 01 website on January 19, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian confirmed at a regular press conference on January 19 that China has issued visas to China to some members of the US Winter Olympic team composed of government officials.
Zhao Lijian said that the TEAM of the United States to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics includes a large number of officials from the US State Department and other government departments, and many officials also hold diplomatic or service passports.
He pointed out that he hoped that the US side would put into practice the Olympic spirit and work with China to create a good atmosphere for athletes from all over the world to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Zhao Lijian said: "Regarding what you said about the US side applying for visas for diplomats and officials, and whether the US side previously claimed not to send official and diplomatic representatives to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, I think you should ask the US side about this question." ”
According to a Jan. 19 report on the website of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, a source said that China had agreed to issue visas to 46 U.S. officials who will participate in next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing, and renewed his call on Washington to stop politicizing the event.
The media reported last month that the U.S. government had submitted a three-month application for 18 people to participate in the Winter Olympics, just weeks after the White House announced that it would not send officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The report quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying the list has now been expanded to 46 officials, most of whom work for the State Department.
The source, who asked not to be named, said that in a recent meeting between the Two Sides, the Chinese side said it had approved the issuance of visas for the U.S. delegation.
Source: Reference News Network