A Norwegian politician has reportedly nominated the "people of Hong Kong" for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize on October 15. Responding to this, the Chinese Government officials on October 17 have asked the foreign governments not to interfere in its affairs. The nomination comes after the city has been hit by months of pro-democracy protests, which Beijing has portrayed as riots fuelled by foreign forces. Activists say freedoms in the city are being eroded by Beijing and so call for democracy instead.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing that Hong Kong's affairs are purely internal for China and that no foreign government or individuals have the right to interfere. The minister also called for the relevant people to be objective and just as well as cautious, inferring the nomination.

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Norwegian Politician supports Hong Kong protesters and nominates them

On the other hand, Guri Melby, a member of Norway's parliament for the Liberal Party, said in a Twitter post on October 15 that he nominates Hong Kong's people for Nobel Peace Prize. Melby said that he did so as the Hong Kong protesters risk their lives and security every day to stand up for freedom of speech and basic democracy. Later, the politician also spoke to a newspaper on Wednesday saying that what the protesters do has an impact far beyond Hong Kong, both in the region and in the rest of the world. The statement comes as Hong Kong activists claim that their freedoms have been eroded by Beijing. 

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China's tensions with Norway over Nobel Prize

China has had a history of tensions with the Nobel committee. Beijing froze its relations with Norway as they awarded the 2010 Nobel to an imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, a writer, philosopher and veteran of the Tiananmen protests, who died of cancer in 2017. Free trade agreement and imports from Norwegian salmon were blocked although the country's administration plays no part in the Nobel Committee. It was only after Oslo committed to not "support actions that undermine" Chinese interests that relations between the countries normalized in 2016. Similarly, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who Beijing accuses of trying to split China was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

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