Nobel head says Liu’s prize based on ‘universal values’

THE Nobel Peace Prize panel defended its award to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo as based on “universal values,” rejecting Beijing’s accusation that it is trying to force Western ideas on China.

China maintained its combative tone ahead of today’s prize ceremony in Oslo, and announced the award of its own Confucius Peace Prize to former Taiwan vice-president Lien Chan, though his office said he was unaware of the award.

China jailed Liu last Christmas Day for 11 years for subversion of state power and for being the lead author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for democratic reform in the one-party state.

Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told a news conference the award of the prize to Liu was not a protest.

“It is a signal to China that it would be very important for China’s future to combine economic development with political reforms and support for those in China fighting for basic human rights,” he said.

“This prize conveys the understanding that these are universal rights and universal values, they are not Western standards,” he added.

His comments were unlikely to placate Beijing, where Communist Party ideologists consider “universal values” to be codewords for Western liberalisation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu criticised the US House of Representatives for calling on China to release Liu and his wife Liu Xia, who is under house arrest.

Jiang told a regular news briefing any attempts to pressure or “deter China from its development” would not succeed.

“China urges the relevant US lawmakers to stop the wrong words and activity on the Liu Xiaobo issue and to change their arrogant and rude attitude,” Jiang said.

“The US Congress’ so-called resolution distorts the truth, it is widely meddling in China’s internal affairs,” she said.

“Liu Xiaobo was not convicted because of his remarks,” she said.

“Liu wrote and published inflammatory articles on the internet, organising and persuading others to sign it, to stir up and overthrow China’s political authority and social system.

“This was an act that jeopardised society,” Jiang said.

China’s crackdown on dissidents, rights activists and friends and family of Liu has continued.

Police barred lawyers, scholars and NGO representatives from attending a seminar on the rule of law at the EU’s embassy in Beijing, the EU’s ambassador to China said.

China has flexed its economic muscle in drumming up support for a boycott of the Oslo award ceremony for Liu today.

Most of the 18 or 19 states joining the boycott have strong commercial ties with China or share its hostility toward Western human rights pressure.

China said the “vast majority” of nations would boycott the ceremony. The Norwegian award committee says two-thirds of those invited would attend.

Beijing has briefly blacked out BBC and CNN reports on Liu and his supporters over the past few days, though foreign news channels are generally only available in up-market hotels and apartment buildings mostly inhabited by foreigners.