By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Feb.16: China has expressed its disappointment at the United States Senate unanimously approving a bill last week proposing to name a plaza in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC after the jailed Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo.
The bill yet to be flagged a law, if approved by higher office will see the address of the Chinese Embassy change from “3505 International Place” to “1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza”
The bill was proposed back in 2014 by Senator Ted Cruz who is currently one of the Republican Presidential candidates to show solidarity to the persecuted dissidents in China. The bill still has to pass through the House of Representatives and ultimately signed by the President before it will be set in stone.
The Beijing administration although downplaying the move as “no big deal” engaged in a rebuttal that expressed visible apprehension. The party mouthpiece The Global Times responds, “The apparently provocative move intends to outrage and unsettle China. In addition to anger, it will enable us to learn more about the US from another perspective: the US has big problems in abiding by the rules and keeping self-respect and its Congress acts so rashly.
The US has been at its wits’ end in dealing with China as it is reluctant to employ military threats or economic sanctions that may backfire. The only option for Washington seems to be petty actions that disturb China. But these can help China better understand what vile characters it will meet during its rise and face whatever awkwardness comes by dealing with them.”
The 2010 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo has become a synonymous symbol to China’s war against dissidents. His manifesto Charter 8 calling for change in the Chinese political scene had him sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of “inciting subversion of state power”.
