Other countries using Nobel Peace Prize to attack us: China

K J M Varma
Beijing, Oct 12 (PTI) China Tuesday held the Norwegian
Government responsible for the "erroneous" decision of the
Nobel Committee to name jailed activist Liu Xiaobo for the
coveted Peace Prize and accused other countries of using the
award to attack it.
In an apparent reference to countries like US which
have demanded the release of Liu, Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said trying to change the country's
political system by awarding the prize to an imprisoned
dissident was a mistake.
"To give the peace prize to a convicted person in
China...this shows no respect for judicial system in China.
What a convicted person should be allowed or not allowed to do
is up to judicial authority," Ma told reporters here.
He was replying to a volley of questions on China's
anger over awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu, who is
currently serving a 11-year jail sentence for subverting state
power.
Ma evaded a direct reply when asked whether China
would allow his wife to receive the award in Oslo later this
year.
When told that Liu's wife Liu Xia had no cases against
her, he said "You are talking about his wife is it. I have no
information."
"Politicians from some counties are using this
opportunity (award) to attack China. This is not only
disrespect to China's judicial system but also put a big
question on their true intention," he said.
US President Barack Obama and several global leaders
have demanded the release of Liu after he was named this
year's Nobel peace prize winner.
"If some people try to change China's political system
in this way and try to stop Chinese people moving forward,
that is obviously making a mistake," the spokesman said.
Ma attacked the Norwegian government, saying that the
the award was given despite a warning from China that such a
move would damage the ties.
"Norwegian Government supported the erroneous decision
of the Nobel committee. What it did has hurt the bilateral
relations. There is every reason for Chinese people to be
unhappy."
"As a responsible government, it (Norway) is supposed
to know what it should and should not do," he said.
The bilateral ties between the two countries
"maintained sound momentum" in the recent times but the award
to Liu "however ran counter to the principles of the Nobel
prize and damaged the China-Norway relations". (More) PTI KJV
MHM


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