China warns against Nobel prize for activists
8 October 2008
China's Foreign Ministry hinted that it hopes this year's Nobel Peace Prize is not awarded to Chinese human rights activists, saying that it should be awarded to the "right people," AP reported. Chinese dissidents Gao Zhisheng and Hu Jia, who were jailed during the Beijing Olympics, are seen as strong candidates for the prize, whose winners will be announced on Friday. Some prizes that have been awarded "went against Mr Nobel's initial purpose," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang. This year is the 60th anniversary of the signing of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.