China warns ambassadors planning to attend Noble Prize ceremony
China expressed its disdain towards participating countries in the Nobel Prize award ceremony, which this year will honour jailed dissident and Noble Prize winner Liu Xaiobo.
In a statement, the nation said that their would be ‘consequences’ for those country that show support for the political prisoner. China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai called Lui Xaiobo’s receipt of the award as ‘highly politicised and insulting to China’s judicial system’. Particularly in Norway, diplomats have received strong written warnings to stay away from the ceremony.
Mr Cui’s statement added that European countries needed to choose between continued challenges of China’s judicial system or seeking peace with the nation. He added that, those countries that make the wrong choice will face the consequences.
The ceremony is set for 10 December in Oslo and will be attended by several ambassadors stationed in the city. A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said that the office was aware of the comments from the Chinese, but that the British ambassador to Norway would be in attendance at the upcoming ceremony.
China reacted furiously to the announcement that political dissident Liu Xaiobo was chosen to receive the award. The Chinese government has since said that awarding the Nobel Prize to Liu Xaiobo was the same as encouraging crime. Relations between Norway and China have disintegrated since the announcement.