China urges US to block bill to honor convicted criminal

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman urged the U.S. Congress to block a bill approval by the Senate to rename a street in Washington D.C. after Liu Xiaobo, a convicted Chinese criminal.

Spokesman Hong Lei told a routine press briefing on Tuesday that if the bill become a law, it will have "serious consequences." He did not elaborate.

China is firmly opposed to the bill because it violated basic norms of international relations, according to Hong.

"We urge the U.S. Congress to stop considering the bill," Hong said, adding the Chinese side also hopes the United States Administration will end the "political farce."

The bill wants to rename the street after Liu, a Chinese man sentenced to 11 years in prison on Dec. 25, 2009, after a Beijing court convicted him of violating Chinese law and engaging in activities aimed at overthrowing the government.

The bill still needs to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and must be signed by the president before it can become a law. Endi