Other countries using Nobel Peace Prize to attack us: China

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".