Chinese ambassador slams 2010 Nobel Peace Prize as "provocation"

China's new ambassador in Tunis on Saturday slammed the attribution of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiabo, calling it a gross provocation against China's judiciary and a brutal interference in China's internal affairs.

Attributing the prize to a criminal sentenced to 11 years of jail for his activities aiming at destabilizing the Chinese state has nothing to do with human rights in China, ambassador Huo Zhengde said when he was addressing a group of journalists in Tunis.

He noted that it is not the first time the prize is hijacked from Alfred Nobel's original vocation to serve as a political tool for certain Western countries against other countries in the name of human rights.

"As no country can claim to be perfect on the issue of human rights, China is not perfect, however, it is willing to engage in dialogue on an equal footing with foreign countries but will refuse external political pressure and lesson-givers," he said.

Huo, who was appointed in Tunisia in November 2010, also stressed the long-standing friendly relations between China and Tunisia, saying he will spare no effort to further promote them.

Source: Xinhua