President Joe Biden acknowledged that the US is considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

This would imply that a US delegation would be absent from the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in February.

The move would be a protest against China's alleged human rights violations.

"[It is] something we are considering," Mr. Biden said as he took a seat for a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mr. Biden had stated in November that the US would consider not sending an official delegation to the games. The White House expressed "grave concern" about "human rights violations we have witnessed in Xinjiang."

Washington has also accused Beijing of restricting political freedoms in Hong Kong and ratcheting up military pressure on Taiwan, which enjoys strong US backing.

According to reports, Australia and Canada are also mulling diplomatic boycotts of the events.

Typically, governments send a high-ranking group of diplomats to the opening ceremonies to demonstrate their international support for the thousands of athletes from all over the world who compete.

The Winter Olympics in 2022 is scheduled from February 4 to February 20.

Activists and a few members of Congress from both parties have urged the Biden administration to boycott the event diplomatically.

The US government has accused China of committing genocide against Muslim ethnic groups in its western Xinjiang region, which Beijing rejects.