Cryptocurrencies
Republicans Want Digital Yuan Restricted at Beijing Olympics
- U.S. lawmakers raise concerns of China spying on athletes
- China says token to be used primarily for retail transactions
Athletes' village for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the Chongli district near Beijing.
Photographer: Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn, Roger Wicker, and Cynthia Lummis urged the U.S. Olympic Committee to forbid American athletes from using China’s new digital currency at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, citing espionage and data-security concerns.
“Olympic athletes should be aware that the digital yuan may be used to surveil Chinese citizens and those visiting China on an unprecedented scale, with the hopes that they will maintain digital yuan wallets on their smartphones and continue to use it upon return,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent Monday to Susanne Lyons, board chair of the U.S. Olympic Committee.