On December 7, 2021, David O. Shullman was quoted in the Washington Post‘s front-page story, “In pointed snub, no US government official will attend Beijing Winter Olympics,” by Ellen Nakashima and Rick Maese. Discussing the Biden administration’s announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, he said: “The hope is that Washington’s leadership here will embolden allies in Europe and perhaps Australia to do the same.” He added that “A common position among democracies will send a significantly stronger message about the unacceptable nature of China’s abuses than a singular US effort that Beijing will seek to dismiss as a gimmick driven by US rivalry with China.”