Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Thursday that the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to the "right person".

Liu made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to a question that the Nobel Peace Prize this year could go to Hu Jia, a Chinese national, who is now in jail for subverting the state.

"If the Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to the people who indeed safeguard world peace, we think it should go to the right person," he said.

On April 3, Hu Jia was sentenced by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court to three and half years imprisonment, with one year's deprivation of political rights.

The verdict said Hu, an unemployed father aged 34 and the holder of a college degree, libeled the Chinese political and social systems, and instigated subversion of the state, which is a crime under Chinese law.

"We hope the relevant side will make the right decision, and not hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2008)