Ties with Norway difficult after Nobel to Liu: China

Terming the Oslo-based Nobel committee`s decision to award this year`s Peace Prize to a Chinese dissident as "flagrant" provocation, China said it will be difficult to maintain relations with Norway like in the past.

Beijing: Terming the Oslo-based Nobel
committee`s decision to award this year`s Peace Prize to a
Chinese dissident as "flagrant" provocation, China today said
said it will be difficult to maintain relations with Norway
like in the past.

"The Nobel Committee has awarded the peace prize to a
criminal. Norwegian government has expressed open support to
it. It is difficult maintain friendly relations with Norway
like in the past," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu told
a media briefing here.

"The Nobel committee gave this year`s peace prize to a
criminal serving a sentence because of breaking the law in
China," Jiang said.

"It is in open support of criminal activities in China
and it is a flagrant provocation and interference in China`s
judicial sovereignty," she said.

She said in view of this Chinese leadership has
"concerns and reservations" over forging cooperative relations
with Norway.

"I think it is understandable," she said.
Jiang was responding a question over the continued
detention of Liu who was sentenced for 11 year imprisonment
for subverting state power.

"It is not an issue of freedom of speech and human
rights, but an issue of respecting other countries` judicial
sovereignty and China`s path of development and social
system," Jiang, speaking at a regular news briefing.

China`s hard line stand over the Nobel to Liu may
affect an oil deal energy hungry China is negotiating with
Norway which is world`s fifth largest oil exporter.

Oslo said on Tuesday that Beijing had indefinitely
postponed negotiations with Norway aimed at concluding a free
trade accord.

According to an informal schedule, a new round of
trade talks between the two countries had been set to take
place around the New Year.

PTI

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