Savannah Guthrie Calls China's Decision to Have Uyghur Athlete Carry Torch 'Provocative' Response to U.S.

The 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies took place this morning in Beijing. The Olympic flame was lit by two Chinese athletes, Zhao Jiawen and Dinigeer Yilamujiang. Yilamujiang is a member of the Uyghur ethnic minority.

The United States is just one of the Western nations holding a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing games because of the Uyghur genocide in China. During the broadcast of the opening ceremony, NBC's Savannah Guthrie called the decision "provocative" and an "in-your-face response to those Western nations, including the U.S., who have called this Chinese treatment of that group genocide."

WATCH: @SavannahGuthrie calls a reported Uyghur co-lighting the Olympic flame, chosen by Xi Jinping, “an in-your-face response to those Western nations, including the U.S., who have called this Chinese treatment of that group genocide and diplomatically boycotted these games.” pic.twitter.com/NBRtIOROJt
— Jackson Richman (@jacksonrichman) February 4, 2022

Andy Browne, editorial director of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, also appeared on the NBC broadcast adding, "This was a riposte to President Joe Biden for skipping these Olympics and a message to the West: China won’t be lectured to on human rights, or on any other issue."