White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirms the government will not send any officials to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as a protest of China's human rights abuses.

BEIJING -- China on Tuesday accused the United States of violating the Olympic spirit by announcing an American diplomatic boycott of February's Beijing Winter Games, amid an increasingly bitter feud over the Biden administration's decision not to send officials over human rights concerns.

is attempting to interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics "out of ideological prejudice and based on lies and rumors," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing.

to "stop politicizing sports" and what he said were actions undermining the Beijing Winter Olympics, "otherwise it will undermine the dialogue and cooperation between the two countries in a series of important areas and international issues.".

"Some Western anti-China politicians" have shown a "defensive Cold War mentality aimed at politicizing sport," the article said, calling that a "clear violation of the Olympic spirit and a challenge to all people who love the Olympic movement.".

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said Japan would make its own decision "from the perspective of national interests, taking into consideration the significance of the Olympic Games and the significance of Japan's diplomacy.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said it remained unclear what the diplomatic boycott means and that a decision on officials attending would be made "at an appropriate time.".

"In any case, Japan hopes that the Beijing Winter Games will be held as a celebration of peace in line with the principles of the Olympic and Paralympic Games," Matsuno said.

New Zealand said Tuesday it won't be attending the games at a diplomatic level, but that it made the decision earlier due mostly to pandemic travel restrictions