Taiwan hails Nobel Peace Prize winner’s fight

TAIWAN - Taiwan Friday risked irking China by hailing jailed Chinese dissident and writer Liu Xiaobo for his efforts to fight for human rights that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize.

The President’s Office in Taipei issued a statement congratulating Liu for winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for promoting human rights in China. It also asked Beijing to be lenient with dissidents and get in line with the world trend of upholding human rights.

The statement, quoting Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou who has adopted a policy of engaging China since taking office in 2008, asked the Chinese authorities to view the award from a more positive perspective.

“The economic development of mainland China is already eye-catching, and if (China) can have more progress and breakthroughs on human right issues, it would help achieve its goal of a peaceful rise and win the recognition of the people in Taiwan and the international community,” it said.

It noted that Liu’s winning of the prize “bears a historic significance to human rights development” in China.

The statement came days after Ma told visiting foreign dignitaries Taiwan’s relations with China had never been better since they signed a semi free-trade pact in June.

Taiwan and China, once bitter rivals since they split at the end of a civil war in 1949, mended fences following historic talks in Beijing in June 2008.

On Friday, China reacted with anger to news of the award of the prize to Liu, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence for subversion, saying the dissident is a criminal sentenced by the Chinese judiciary.

It warned that the award of the prize in Oslo would also “bring harm to China-Norway relations”.