Washington, District of Columbia - US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday called for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in response to China's human rights record.

"We cannot proceed as if nothing is wrong about the Olympics going to China," Pelosi (81) told the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission during the joint virtual hearing on "China, Genocide and the Olympics."

Pelosi said that "we cannot continue to give Beijing a blank check on the hope that their behavior will simply change."

The leading Democrat asked: "What moral authority do you have to speak again about human rights any place in the world if you're willing to pay your respects to the Chinese government as they commit genocide?"

"So honor your athletes at home. Let's have a diplomatic boycott if, in fact, this Olympics takes place. Silence on this issue is unacceptable. It enables China's abuses."

Pelosi also blasted corporate sponsors for "[looking] the other way on China's abuses out of concern for their bottom line."

The US accuses China of human rights violations – especially in the treatment of the Uyghur and Tibetan minorities and the repression of democratic forces in Hong Kong.

To mark one year until Beijing 2022's opening ceremony in February, 180 international human rights organizations called for governments to commit to a diplomatic boycott of the games.