China warned on Tuesday the United States would “pay the price” for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The US move – which stopped short of preventing athletes from attending – comes after Washington spent months wrangling over what position to take on the Games, beginning in February next year. The move drew fiery opposition from Beijing, which threatened unspecified countermeasures, warning the US would “pay the price for its wrongdoing”. “Stay tuned,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily press briefing. “The US attempt to interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics out of ideological prejudice, based on lies and rumours, will only expose (its) sinister intentions,” Zhao said. “The Winter Olympics are not a stage for political shows and political manipulation,” he added, accusing the US of “actions that interfere in and undermine the Beijing Winter Olympics.” Russia — whose predecessor state the USSR was subject to a full boycott of the Olympics by the United States in 1980 following its invasion of Afghanistan — slammed the decision. “Our position is that the Olympic Games should be free of politics,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, but said it was positive that participants were not impacted by the decision. The Kremlin criticised the United States for announcing a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, saying the Games should be “free of politics”. “Our position is that the Olympic Games should be free of politics,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He said that it was positive, however, that participants were not impacted by the decision. “What’s most important in the Olympics is that the athletes are not affected,” Peskov said.