Beijing, China (CNN) -- China on Tuesday stepped up criticism of Norway and the awarding of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, a leading Chinese dissident.
Liu is serving an 11-year prison term after repeatedly calling for human rights and democratization.
"The Norwegian Nobel committee's decision to give Liu the Nobel Peace Prize will damage bilateral relations. There is reason for every Chinese person to be unhappy," Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news briefing.
"We already made our position clear. Since reform and opening up, China has made remarkable progress," Ma said. "By giving a convicted person the Nobel Peace Prize, they show no respect for China's judicial system."
"It not only disrespects China, but also reveals their true intentions. If you try to change China's political system from the outside, or if they are trying to stop Chinese people from moving forward, that is obviously making a mistake," he added.
Video: China censors Nobel coverage Video: Wife of Nobel Prize winner detained Video: Liu Xiaobo wins Nobel Peace Prize
Liu was sentenced in 2009 for inciting subversion of state power. He is the co-author of Charter 08, a call for political reform and human rights, and was an adviser to the student protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Asked about Liu's wife, Liu Xia, Ma responded: "I do not know who you are talking about. I am not familiar with this person."
Liu Xia remains under house arrest in Beijing and has been banned from talking to friends or media, Liu Xiaobo's lawyer said. She is trying to visit the attorney to discuss an appeal to her husband's sentence.
"She is negotiating with the police on the terms of the visit," Shang Baojun, the lawyer, told CNN. "The issue of an appeal is not if, but when and how."
Shang confirmed that Liu Xia said her husband wanted her to go to Oslo to accept the award in December, but he is not optimistic about the prospect.
"It's way too early to think about her Norway trip, considering she can't even leave her house," he said.
Liu Xia briefly re-gained phone access Tuesday, talking to Shang and several friends, as well as a few media outlets, from a new mobile phone after police broke her old one. The new number has been disconnected again, her friends tweeted Tuesday evening.
Coppied by http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/12/china.nobel.reaction/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
No comments:
Post a Comment