China protests vote that affects building address

China has urged the US to stop "provocative" actions after the US Senate unanimously passed a bill to rename a plaza in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington after Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese writer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

Liu was convicted of inciting subversion of state power in 2009. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and deprived of his political rights for two years.

"It's provocative and counterproductive. We strongly urge the US side to stop such actions," Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhu Haiquan said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters.

In its Feb 14 editorial, Beijing-based Global Times said: "The apparently provocative move intends to outrage and unsettle China. But this is no big deal. In addition to anger, it will enable us to learn more about the US from another perspective: the US has big problems in abiding by the rules and keeping self-respect and its Congress acts so rashly."

The measure would change the address of the Chinese Embassy in Washington from 3505 International Place to 1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza.

The editorial said that the US has been "at its wits' end in dealing with China as it is reluctant to employ military threats or economic sanctions that may backfire. The only option for Washington seems to be petty actions that disturb China. But these can help China better understand what vile characters it will meet during its rise and face whatever awkwardness comes by dealing with them," the editorial said.

The Feb 12 bill was introduced by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a leading 2016 Republican presidential candidate. The passage of the bill on a Friday was meant to be a trade-off between Cruz and Senate Democrats.

As a result, Cruz had ended his holds on nominees including US President Barack Obama's new ambassadors to Norway and Sweden and two top State Department officials. The Senate also confirmed those nominations on Friday, according to Reuters.

Senate rules allow any member to block a nomination by a procedure known as a "hold". Cruz had imposed the holds last year after Washington and other world powers reached a deal with Iran in which it agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Several Senate sources, including high-level Republicans and Democrats knowledgeable about the process, said Cruz had dropped the holds after Obama's fellow Democrats said they would not oppose the plaza-naming measure, Reuters reported.

A White House spokesman, quoted by Reuters, said Obama's senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill.