China vehemently opposes the Nobel Peace Prize, primarily due to its one-party rule, disdain for democratic systems in other countries, and expansionist ambitions encroaching on foreign territories. In 1989, when the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize, China strongly criticised not only one of the world’s most peace-loving spiritual figures, but the prize itself.
Despite occasional controversies, the Nobel Peace Prize has become a widely accepted recognition of significant contributions to positive change in various fields, such as science, creativity, art, and peace advocacy.
Tibet was once an independent nation covering 26.63% of China’s land area, and the Dalai Lama advocated for greater autonomy for the region, recognising that complete independence was unlikely given the prevailing geopolitical circumstances. Even this moderate stance was rejected by the Chinese government.
In response, the dictatorship that had ruled for four decades expressed regret and outrage, stating: “The Dalai Lama and Tibetan separatists’ efforts to undermine national unity and divide China are openly supported by the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award the Dalai Lama the Nobel Peace Prize. The decision deviates from the committee’s purpose of awarding the prize to those working for and contributing to harmony and goodwill among peoples.” They considered it a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs.
China was vastly different in 2010 when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. By then, China had become an economic powerhouse, a global manufacturing hub, and was on its way to becoming a credible military power.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. China froze diplomatic and economic relations with Norway after the committee announced Liu Xiaobo as the Nobel laureate for Peace. These relations remained suspended for six years until 2016.
China’s response to the Nobel Peace Prize for a Chinese dissident was offensive this time. “The Nobel Committee’s decision violates the principles of the Peace Prize and is merely a tool for the West to attack China,” it said.
Like the Dalai Lama, Liu Xiaobo was considered an agitator and a lawbreaker in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP promoted one-party autocracy in China, and any form of democracy, even less than 1%, was unacceptable. Liu Xiaobo became a dissident for advocating for democratic values.
China criticised the Nobel Committee’s rationale for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, stating: “Liu has published a series of articles criticising China’s socialist system and government. Liu has spared no effort in disseminating reactionary information against the Chinese government on the Internet and encouraged people to overthrow the government. Choosing Liu as the Peace Laureate once again exhibits the West’s attempts to interfere in China’s political process and its desire to Westernise the nation.”
China also used the occasion to caution the Western world about its fears regarding China’s rise as a great power on the international stage.
This was further reflected in China’s orchestrated death of Liu Xiaobo on July 13, 2017.
LIU XIAOBO’S DEMISE
In the annals of contemporary Chinese history, Liu Xiaobo stood as an unwavering symbol of democracy and political reform within a nation ensnared by the shackles of an autocratic one-party dictatorship since 1950. As a steadfast advocate for change, he emerged as China’s foremost dissident and a champion of human rights.
Liu Xiaobo first gained international attention in 1989 when he courageously participated in the Tiananmen Square protests as a young academic. China’s ruling authorities took notice and, over the years, detained him on four occasions, culminating in his final arrest in 2008. In December 2009, he received an egregious 11-year prison sentence for inciting the subversion of state power.
In a resounding global show of support, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. However, this honour was met with vehement opposition from China, a nation notorious for its disregard of human rights and political reform advocates. China’s response was unequivocal – the Nobel decision was deemed utterly wrong and unacceptable, leading to diplomatic arm-twisting that resulted in several countries boycotting the 2010 Nobel Award Ceremony. An empty chair symbolised Liu Xiaobo’s absence.
China’s power elite within the Communist Party acted swiftly to erase Liu Xiaobo from the nation’s discourse. They placed his wife, Liu Xia, under house arrest on the very day of the Nobel Committee’s announcement on October 8, 2010. She endured these harsh conditions despite repeated international calls for her release, which intensified following Liu’s untimely death.
China systematically killed Liu by incarcerating him in tough prison conditions and denying him the medical care that he required, something that deteriorated his health to life threatening condition ultimately. Domestic protests and international outrage meant nothing for China, death of Liu from terminal liver cancer once again proved. The Norwegian Nobel Committee termed the death as premature and saying that China’s acts were responsible for it.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2023
The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the Peace Prize winner for 2023 on Friday, with names like the International Court of Justice, amid the Russia-Ukraine war’s ongoing second year with Russian President facing accusations of war crimes; Myanmar’s resilient pro-democracy movement despite brutal suppression by the military regime; imprisoned women’s rights activists and journalists from Iran, including Narges Mohammadi; and Afghan women’s rights activist Mahbouba Seraj being mentioned as top contenders.
As is the case every year, it will be intriguing to see which name the committee ultimately selects.
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