China Asks Japan Not To Attend Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

[AsahinaKimi]

Source: Bernama.com

TOKYO, Nov 10 (Bernama) --Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Tuesday that China has asked Japan not to send a representative to a ceremony to be held in Oslo next month to honor imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo with the Nobel Peace Prize, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

"It is true that we received a request (from China) through diplomatic channels in Tokyo and Norway to refrain from having our representative attends the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony," Maehara said at a House of Representatives budget committee session.

The minister said he will "make an appropriate decision" on whether the Japanese ambassador to Norway will attend the ceremony.

Read more: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=542060

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Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was involved in the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests.

[madrchsod]

1. well that is interesting...

i doubt anyone will give into china`s 'request'

[Nolimit]

3. Venezuela might

I could see Hugo Chavez not sending a delegate if Beijing Wishes so. Realpolitik and all

[Demeter]

2. Good Grief

Grow a little skin, China

[4lbs]

4. It's all about controlling their own people.

The "official" Chinese position is that the 1989 Tiananmen Square incidents never happened. They were all made up fantasy. Hoaxes. The Chinese government refuses to ackowledge them, talk about them, or tell their young people about them. They won't allow anything that references Tiananmen or the Chinese government in a negative light inside their borders.

So, by asking Japan and other Asian countries not to send representatives to the Nobel ceremony for the main dissident involved in such protests, they hope to de-legitimize him. Then they can point to his lack of support, especially from other Asian countries, as "proof" that it's still just a fantasy as they claim.

[Art_from_Ark]

8. You've hit the nail on the head

By the way, I was in Japan as Tiananmen Square was happening and saw videos of it on Japanese TV and read about it in Japanese newspapers. It was truly horrible.

[Selatius]

10. They have almost eliminated the memory of Tiananmen Square in the minds of the younger generation.

The older ones who were around in those days and lived still remember, but the younger ones are, sadly, the product of the education system of the communist party of China.

[JI7]

5. the appropriate thing would be to attend

[Democat]

6. Why would Japan not go other than fear of China?

Did they support China during the Tiananmen protests?

[TexasObserver]

7. China has chutzpah. China remains a major human rights violator.

They really know how to get their misdeeds more coverage, too.

[panzerfaust]

9. America is also not going to send a representative

? who knows for sure