正文
Liu Xiaobo wrong man for Nobel Peace Prize, say laureates
TWO British scientists awarded the Nobel Physics Prize have caused shock by condemning the decision to give the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo.
Andre Geim, a professor at the University of Manchester, who shares this year\'s $1.6 million prize with colleague Konstantin Novoselov, said the Nobel committee was out of touch, and dismissed its tribute to the jailed Chinese dissident as patronising.
Look at the people who give this Nobel prize, Professor Geim said. They are retired Norwegian politicians who have spent all their careers in a safe environment, in an oil-rich modern country. They try to extend their views of the world, how the world should work and how democracy works in another country. It\'s very, very patronising -- they have not lived in these countries.
In the past 10 years, China has developed not only economically, but even the strongest human rights supporter would agree also human rights have improved. Why do we need to distort this?
Professor Novoselov defended China, insisting Western criticism of the communist regime was misplaced.
What is a dictatorship? It is not as if people are being constantly killed there, he said.
The scientists\' support for China sparked an extraordinary exchange with another laureate, Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, during the annual Nobel Minds debate.
Vargas Llosa, who expressed solidarity with the dissident Liu, said the scientists must explain themselves.
Both were born in Russia, one of the 17 countries that boycotted the ceremony, but they have made careers in Britain. They were honoured for their work with graphene, the thinnest known material, which opens huge possibilities in technology.
Although both agreed it was unfair that neither Mr Liu nor his family had been allowed to accept his award, they said it was a myth that every Chinese person was terrified of the regime.
China is doing a lot for its scientists. So many of our Chinese students want to go back because they see lots of opportunities there. They don\'t see it as breaching their human rights, Professor Novoselov said.
Professor Geim added: I have many Chinese colleagues, and they believe that the slow way to Western democracy is better.
TWO British scientists awarded the Nobel Physics Prize have caused shock by condemning the decision to give the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo.
Andre Geim, a professor at the University of Manchester, who shares this year\'s $1.6 million prize with colleague Konstantin Novoselov, said the Nobel committee was out of touch, and dismissed its tribute to the jailed Chinese dissident as patronising.
Look at the people who give this Nobel prize, Professor Geim said. They are retired Norwegian politicians who have spent all their careers in a safe environment, in an oil-rich modern country. They try to extend their views of the world, how the world should work and how democracy works in another country. It\'s very, very patronising -- they have not lived in these countries.
In the past 10 years, China has developed not only economically, but even the strongest human rights supporter would agree also human rights have improved. Why do we need to distort this?
Professor Novoselov defended China, insisting Western criticism of the communist regime was misplaced.
What is a dictatorship? It is not as if people are being constantly killed there, he said.
The scientists\' support for China sparked an extraordinary exchange with another laureate, Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, during the annual Nobel Minds debate.
Vargas Llosa, who expressed solidarity with the dissident Liu, said the scientists must explain themselves.
Both were born in Russia, one of the 17 countries that boycotted the ceremony, but they have made careers in Britain. They were honoured for their work with graphene, the thinnest known material, which opens huge possibilities in technology.
Although both agreed it was unfair that neither Mr Liu nor his family had been allowed to accept his award, they said it was a myth that every Chinese person was terrified of the regime.
China is doing a lot for its scientists. So many of our Chinese students want to go back because they see lots of opportunities there. They don\'t see it as breaching their human rights, Professor Novoselov said.
Professor Geim added: I have many Chinese colleagues, and they believe that the slow way to Western democracy is better.
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