China's partners in suppresion of dissidents
Who's staying away from Nobel ceremony?
OSLO: Some 20 countries including China have refused Norway's invitation to Friday's ceremony awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiabao.
Most have close ties to China, do not want to anger Beijing or have a tendency to take a hard line against their own dissidents.
Those who have said they are staying away are Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Ukraine and the Philippines had first declined their invitations, but Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad said Thursday they had changed their mind .................(they must have been afraid of being seen as puppets of china)
Russia, which signed trade agreements with China last month worth 8.5 billion dollars, has officially pleaded prior engagements for its absence, while Serbia has admitted its desire to maintain good relations with Beijing.
Other countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka have economic and defence ties with China and are more like satellites of china, while Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia supply it with oil.
Iran also relies on Chinese support in the UN Security Council to fight sanctions against its nuclear programme, and will not have forgotten the Peace Prize awarded to one of its own dissidents, Shirin Ebadi, in 2003.
Most of the 65 countries with embassies in Oslo will be represented.
Emerging economic powers which are potential rivals rather than partners of China will also be there, including Brazil, lndia, Indonesia, South Africa and South Korea.
to a person who can not grow up and manipulated by outsiders is really ironic. not a decent Chinese will support what he was doing.
lately, more than ever, it seems that money (only) talks, taking over universal values.
dont see much benefit of this iron curtain approach by china as sometimes its better to face ones' ghosts than to try and bury them...similarly for Assange US is another china.