How China has put Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize in the limelight

Beijing's angry reaction to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize was seemingly intended to downplay this year's award, but instead it's adding new importance to Mr. Liu's upcoming Nobel ceremony in Oslo.

If, as is now expected, Liu nor his family attend the Dec. 10 event, says Norwegian Nobel Institute Executive Director Geir Lundestad, it will be the first time that no one is present to collect the prize since it went to German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky 75 years ago, who wasn't allowed to leave his country. In other controversial cases, representatives picked up awards for the missing laureates.

“Everybody understands why he is not here,” says Mr. Lundestad. “There is no negative significance at all, it only makes the message even stronger. It could turn out to be positive, unfortunately.”

Many will see this year's ceremony as a gauge of China's influence in Europe, and whether countries here are willing to overlook human rights issues to secure better ties with Beijing. In recent weeks, China has discouraged many countries from sending representatives to the Nobel ceremony.

So far, 36 out of the around 58 embassies have agreed to attend. Russia, Cuba, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and China are among those that declined, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Sixteen have still not replied, most likely because they are awaiting clarifications from their governments. But embassies representing all of the EU member countries and the US will most likely be attending, as well as Japan.

“These kinds of tactics are counter-productive,” says James Lampton, director of the China Studies Program at John Hopkins University. “These countries won’t capitulate to pressure.”

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