The fresh round of criticism came on the eve of a gathering in the Norwegian capital in recognition of Liu, who was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges.

"Those people at the Nobel committee have to admit they are in the minority. The Chinese people and the overwhelming majority of countries and people in the world oppose what they do," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

"Any attempt to exert pressure on China... cannot succeed."

Earlier this week, Jiang referred to the members of the committee as "clowns" and accused them of "orchestrating an anti-China fuss".

Liu, 54, was jailed after co-authoring Charter 08, a bold petition calling for reform in one-party Communist-ruled China.

Jiang said the one-time professor had "instigated overthrowing China's political power and social system".

"Liu's problem has gone beyond remarks or general criticism. It's actually actions that jeopardise society in a realistic manner," she said.

The US House of Representatives, by a 402-1 margin, on Wednesday congratulated Liu and again called on China for his immediate release -- a call soundly rejected by Beijing.

"China expresses its firm opposition" to the House vote, Jiang said.

"We urge relevant US lawmakers to... change their arrogant and unreasonable attitude and show due respect for the Chinese people and China's judicial sovereignty."

No one is expected to be on hand to accept the award on behalf of Liu, who was named as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in October in recognition of "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".

His wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since that time, other family members are under pressure not to speak publicly and many of Liu's fellow dissidents and supporters have been warned not to attend or have been physically prevented from leaving China, activists have said.

Diplomats have also said China -- which has been deeply embarrassed by the award -- has pressured other governments not to send their representatives to the ceremony.

A total of 19 countries -- including Russia, Cuba and Venezuela -- have decided to shun the event.

"We hope that those countries who have received invitations can tell right from wrong and uphold justice. It's not an issue of human rights. It's an issue of interfering in other countries' internal affairs," Jiang said Thursday.

China has used both official press conferences and the state media to hurl invective at the Nobel committee and its president Thorbjoern Jagland. It has said honouring Liu is tantamount to "encouraging crime".

The Global Times, the nationalistic sister publication of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily, on Thursday suggested a Western "plot" against Beijing in a commentary.

"The West is using this year's Nobel Peace Prize to sound the charge against China's ideology, aiming to undermine the benign surroundings for China's future development," the newspaper said.

"The West has not ceased harassing China with all kinds of tricks like the Nobel Peace Prize," it added. "Is there a 'plot' among the Western countries against China?"

The websites of television networks CNN, the BBC and Norwegian public broadcaster NRK appeared to be blocked Thursday -- a possible bid by Beijing to prevent Internet users from following Friday's ceremony.

In Beijing, a Chinese group meanwhile awarded its own "peace prize" to former Taiwan vice-president Lien Chan, whose office denied all knowledge of the award. The group denied any link with the Chinese government.

earlier related report
Nobel China stand-off heats up ahead of ceremony
Oslo (AFP) Dec 9, 2010 - Supporters and opponents of jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo were mobilising Thursday on the eve of a ceremony in honour of the absent Nobel Peace Prize laureate that has enraged Beijing.

China has kept up a barrage of criticism of the award to Liu who will be unable to attend the ceremony, insisting that the vast majority of countries oppose the decision to hand the prize to a man it considers a criminal.

"Those people at the Nobel committee have to admit they are in the minority. The Chinese people and the overwhelming majority of people in the world oppose what they do," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters in Beijing.

However the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjoern Jagland, said Thursday he was pleasantly surprised to see the level of support for the award and "how many international leaders have so strenuously demanded Liu's release."

Liu, 54, was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring Charter 08, a bold petition calling for reform in one-party Communist-ruled China.

Jagland acknowledged that he and the rest of the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee had not been "expecting a lot of support at a political level since so many countries depend on China economically and politically."

"It is most certainly not very easy for (some) countries to oppose China's wishes. But the most important thing, is that two thirds of the countries with an embassy in Oslo will come (to Friday's ceremony), including large countries with close relations to China."

China has threatened "consequences" for countries that show their support for Liu, but according to the Nobel Institute, 44 embassies have accepted invitations to the event.

Besides China, 19 other countries have declined to attend the ceremony in the Oslo city hall: Afghanistan Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam.

China fired a final salvo ahead of the ceremony on Thursday calling US lawmakers "arrogant" for a House of Representatives vote congratulating Liu on the award and calling for his immediate release.

Amnesty International was meanwhile planning a demonstration in front of the Chinese embassy Thursday when protesters will attempt to hand over a petition in support of Liu.

Several hours before the protest, the head Amnesty's Norway chapter, John Peder Egenaes told AFP around 100,000 people, mainly from Europe and the United States, had signed the petition.

The human rights group and the Nobel Institute have both meanwhile charged that Beijing was pressuring people of Chinese origin living in Oslo to protest against Liu.

"We know that the Chinese embassy has taken the initiative to organise counter-demonstrations and that it is putting pressure on the Chinese living in Oslo to participate," Egenaes said.

Neither Liu nor his wife, Liu Xia, who has been placed under house arrest since the prize was announced on October 8, will attend the ceremony.

Friday will thus mark only the second time in the more than 100-year history of the prize that neither the laureate nor a representative will be able to come accept the award.

The only other time was when German journalist and pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who was locked up in a Nazi concentration camp, could not travel to Oslo for his prize ceremony in 1936.

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