BBC, 17 February 2016
Beijing has urged the US to veto a move to rename the street outside China’s embassy in Washington after jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo, calling it a “political farce”.
The Senate passed a bill to rename the square on Friday, but it still needs congress and presidential approval.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the bill violated accepted norms of international relations.
Liu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was jailed for subversion in 2009.
He won the Nobel in 2010 for his fight for “a more open and democratic China”.
‘Severe consequences’
If it the bill does become law, the Chinese embassy’s address would change from 3505 International Plaza to 1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza.
On Tuesday, Mr Hong said China “firmly opposes that”, saying it “would cause severe consequences”.
“We urge the US Congress to stop the approval procedure of the bill. We also hope that the US administration can put an end to this political farce.”
A State Department spokesman noted on Tuesday that the White House had indicated President Barack Obama would veto the bill.
“We view this kind of legislative action as something that only complicates our efforts, so we oppose this approach,” he said.
Republican moves
Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, who proposed the bill, has argued it would make a stand on China’s imprisonment of dissidents.
He has likened it to a 1980s decision to rename the street in front of the Soviet Embassy in Washington after dissident Andrei Sakharov.
It is not the first time Republicans have attempted to rename the street.
Mr Cruz had previously attempted to introduce the bill twice last year, but both times was blocked by Democrat senator Dianne Feinstein, who argued that diplomacy would be a better way to negotiate the release of dissidents.
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