Beijing has demanded that Washington halt the progress of a bill aimed at renaming the plaza in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, after Liu Xiaobo, a convicted Chinese criminal.

Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for engaging in activities aimed at overthrowing the government.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. China considers the award reflects poorly on the Nobel Committee because Liu had been found guilty of criminal acts against the State before the prize was announced.