US lawmakers nominate four jailed Chinese dissidents for Nobel Peace Prize

By DIDI TANG
Associated Press

Washington (AP) — Two U.S. lawmakers have nominated Jimmy Lai, a former Hong Kong publisher now standing trial on national security charges, and three other jailed Chinese dissidents for the Nobel Peace Prize. While hundreds of people are often nominated for the annual prize, this nomination is certain to draw a sharp rebuke from Beijing. Rep. Chris Smith, who chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Jeffrey Merkley, the co-chair, nominated Lai, along with Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti and legal activists Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong. All four are jailed for their peaceful activism. Beijing has become assertive in defending its rights record and has accused the U.S. of using the issue as a pretext to suppress China’s rise.